Lion King: A New Pride
by Magmashift
Summary: I recently watched all three Lion King movies 1, 1.5, and 2 and I wanted to make my own. So, not as much singing, but there's all your favorites. I'm sorry to say that some people WILL die, but every Lion King movie's had someone die in it. If you didn't know, Upendi is also the name of the song in Lion King 2 that Rafiki sang. Sheba is my OC. She's not mean, she's just an ass.
1. Chapter 1

**When the jeep pulled to a stop, Simba woke from his nap. How long had he been asleep? Where were they? He looked out the window and saw men in suits. They weren't hunters, but he didn't think they were going to take them home. A couple of the men walked up to the hunter. **

**"You might want to be careful with the male. He's a bit cranky. The female won't give you as much problems, but she's still troublesome." Something stirred in Simba's mouth and he spat Zazu out. **

**"Well, it's about time I got regurgitated. What might I ask was the point in that?" Zazu asked as he shook slobber off of him. **

**"Sorry about that, but I needed to keep you with me until we stopped so you'd know where we were. And I have a strong feeling that this is our final stop. Go, before they spot you." Simba smacked his lips, trying to get feathers out of his mouth. "And take a bath." Zazu flew off and Simba saw the men in uniforms come toward him cautiously. Sheba stepped out. Simba heard Timon's muffled screams as what appeared to be his tail stuck out of her mouth. "Sheba, spit him out." She looked at him and nonchalantly slurped his tail up, ignoring him. He roared at her and she quickly spat him out. **

**"What? I was hungry and he was talking." She said angrily. Timon stood up and muttered.**

**"Sheesh. No wonder you ain't got a boyfriend. Brush your teeth!" Timon said angrily. One of the uniformed men picked Timon up. **

**"Looks like we have a stowaway. I don't think they mentioned meerkats." **

**"I guess we'll put him with the others." Another said. **

**Others? There were more animals? Did the hunters already get more animals? Simba didn't see other jeeps. Were the more animals gotten before? A couple of women in the same uniforms as the men put leashes on Simba and Sheba as they led them away. The leashes, Simba could tell, were thick so they wouldn't break easily. **

**"Okay, we're just gonna give you two a little bath. We won't hurt you." Sheba looked at Simba. **

**"Bath?" She repeated.**

**"Apparently we stink. They'll probably give Timon a bath since you just covered him in drool." Simba explained. Sheba growled as they led them to a big room with drains on the floor that she assumed was the bathing room. She didn't like it, but she stood there as the woman hosed her down before putting shampoo on her fur. The woman looked at her and sighed.**

**"I know you don't want to be here, but it's better here. We're aware of the problems in the wild. Here, there's no problems like that." Sheba growled and shook the water off her fur. This woman was communicating as if she could talk back. Like she was their ally. It didn't make sense. Was every female human nice? Simba wondered. The woman bathing Simba ran her fingers through his mane. **

**"My, what a handsome mane you have. You're a full-grown lion." Simba growled quietly, not sure if he could trust her. What he _was _sure of was that she would probably need to use a lot more than one bottle to wash his mane. For some reason, she reminded him of someone. She seemed to notice him looking at the water. He had just realized that his mouth was dry as cotton and he hadn't had really anything to drink. The woman lowered the water pressure and let him take a few greedy licks of water before finishing hosing him down. It had been the freshest water he had ever tasted. No mud in it; no fish; fresh as ever. When he saw Sheba being led away, he jumped angrily in front of her with a growl. **

**The uniformed humans backed up. Sheba walked up to him. "Relax. They're just moving me to a new room." **

**"You're staying with me. We stick together until this thing ends." Sheba sighed and laid down. The humans looked at Simba cautiously as he circled around Sheba protectively. **

**"I think it'd be best if she stayed here until we're finished with him. Unless you want your hands bitten off." The woman said. They backed up as Simba stared at them angrily. His wet mane that hung in his eyes made him look scarier than he normally would have. The woman slowly started to towel-dry Simba's mane. The others backed away and stood as Simba shook the rest of the water off his fur. Sheba looked up at him and smiled.**

**"Aren't you just the cutest little kitty?" She asked sarcastically. He walked up to the men and motioned for Sheba to follow him. She stood up and followed him. This time, the uniformed men put Simba up on a black cot. A man with a clipboard came in and looked him over, writing something here or there.**

**"Male lion. Full-grown. Age, estimated around 40 animal years." Simba scoffed.**

**_40? I'm 36 at _****most. Simba thought. The man looked at his mane. **

**"Seems to be well-groomed. His physique is obviously well-built." The man opened Simba's mouth and gave a low exhale. "Hygiene is high. Judging by posture, he seems to be well in health. And judging by how high he's holding his head, he's the Alpha Male of his pride." He noticed Simba shifting weight on his forepaws and applied slight pressure on his right shoulder. Simba growled angrily and snapped his jaws at him. "There seems to be a small hitch in his right shoulder." The other humans led Simba off as Sheba stepped on. She turned her head away from him as he circled her. "Female, full-grown. Estimated 34 animal years of age." She laid down and licked her paw as he ruffled her fur. "No sign of fleas or ticks. Well-groomed." He took notice to her ribs. "As to whether she's well-fed, that's another story. Though she seems to be in good health." He had a little more trouble opening her mouth. She roared angrily at him, causing him to step back. Instead of leaving the room, he jotted down on his clipboard. "Her hygiene is well, but can be questionable." Sheba unsheathed her claws, ready to pounce on him.**

**_I'll show you questionable hygiene. _****Simba snapped at her, signaling her to stop. She looked angrily at the man and jumped down from the cot, joining Simba. **

**The man looked at her and jotted down one last note: "The male lion seems to control her. I assume they're in the same pride." With that, the other men grabbed them and led them away. **

**They were led to a giant room, well they thought it was a room until the door opened and saw that it looked a lot like the wild. Something was different though. It was a place specifically for lions. "What is this place?" Simba asked**

**"I don't know, but I don't like it." Sheba answered. Though, she sounded like she was hiding something. The door shut behind them and the lions looked at them. One walked up to them. **

**"They got you, too, huh?" She asked. **

**"They? Who's they? The hunters?" **

**"Hunters, humans. All the same. Some of us were caught in the wild, but most of us were raised here." **

**"Where _is _here? Where are we? Someone tell me what's going on!"**

**"Easy, Simba. Calm down." Sheba said. Simba sighed. "Can you please tell us what's happening?" **

**"You two were caught by hunters, right?" The lioness asked. They nodded. "Those tags on your ears…that means you're property of this zoo now." The two looked at their reflections. There were tags in their left ears. **

**"Zoo? You mean we're in a zoo?" Simba asked. He growled angrily. "I want out of here. I need to go back to the Outlands to protect my family!"**

**"From what?" Sheba asked.**

**"Zazu came to me. He says there's more hunters. They're hiding, but I can't risk it!" Sheba struck her paw against his face. "Ow!"**

**"Calm down! For all we know, there's no way of getting out. We're stuck here whether you like it or not!" He rubbed the side of his face.**

**"You didn't have to hit me."**

**"Well, you were annoying me."**

**"I'm your king."**

**"The only thing royal about you right now is that you're being a royal pain in my-"**

**Before she could finish, there was a cry from Timon. "Timon! I forgot about him! What's going on? I can't see up there." In the meerkat section, Timon had screamed due to the fact that there were many meerkats. All were staring at him. **

**They crowded around him. "Whoa, you guys are a little too close to me."**

**"We haven't had anyone from the _wild _in a long time." Someone said. **

**"Well, I was just coming on a rescue mission and then the crazy humans decided to try and drown me with soap and water, so if you excuse me, I just need some rest." He went to walk, but they stared at him as he walked. "WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT!?" **

**"You're funny-looking for a meerkat." Another said. He made a mad face and rolled his eyes.**

**"Oy." He hopped in a leaf hammock and smiled as it swung. **

**"We haven't had a wild meerkat since Sahara." Timon stopped swinging the hammock as his eyes popped open. He cleaned his ear out with his pinkie.**

**"I'm sorry, I had a grub in my ear, but did you just say Sahara?" The meerkat nodded and Timon faked a yawn. "Wow, is it that time already? I should go now. It was really nice seeing you all, wish I could have gotten to know you, but I have to go. You know, I got a schedule to keep up." He climbed down and went to go in a hole, but someone made him stop in his tracks.**

**"What's the matter, Timon? Still running away from your fears?" He turned around to see a female meerkat, tapping her foot impatiently.**

**"Sahara! Long time no see. I wish I could stay and chat, but I have a warthog to go back to, bye now!"**

**"You're in a zoo, Timmy. And you're not going _anywhere_." He gulped nervously.**

**"How have you been? You look great! How long has it been? Ten months?"**

**"It's been a few years."**

**"Oh, well, uh…why did we break up again?"**

**"You dropped an entire tunnel on me."**

**"Right. You're not still mad at me, are you?"**

**"Am I still missing a finger?"**

**"Uh, you never _were_. I think it's a chunk of your ear that's missing." Sahara rubbed her ear and looked away. **

**"That's not the point. Yes, I'm still mad! You broke my leg!" Timon smiled nervously. **

**"Well…any chance you'll forgive me? How'd you get here anyway?" Sahara put her head up in thought and remembered. **

**"Shortly after I healed, I was on sentry duty and I chased off hyenas. So I thought, but it was really hunters, who caught me and took me here."**

**"Oh." She turned around and looked angrily at him. She advanced on him and poked him repeatedly in the chest. **

**"And where were you, might I ask?" Timon gulped and laughed nervously. **

**"Living Hakuna Matata."**

**"What?"**

**"It's a motto." She raised her eyebrow and looked over at the people who were watching them. Zoo visitors. "But, really, I was off saving a big pointy rock from being ruled by a crazy old lion that killed his brother and scared off his nephew so he could become king." Sahara blinked at him and shook her head. **

**"Another reason we broke up. You were hit in the head too many times." Timon sighed and sat down. **

**"Oy." **

**The lions watched as the hunters made camp near Pride Rock. Nala looked over at Kiara and Kovu. Pumbaa stayed behind to watch the cubs. It wasn't much of an ambush plan, but the other lions felt it was hopeless to try and fight them, so most of them stayed behind. Luckily, though, they had some help from the rhinos. Maybe that would give them a bit of an advantage. "Ready?" Kovu and Kiara nodded. Kiara looked over at Kovu, eyeing his sore paw. He noticed her looking at it and laughed.**

**"I'll be fine. I've fought with worse." He said. Truth was, it hurt a lot, but Sheba was captured protecting him. He owed her that. And Simba, he was family. No way was he going to let hunters take him and get away with it. Zazu flew next to Nala.**

**"Madam, I highly advise against this. You saw what they did to Kovu. What if this time, they don't miss? Simba wanted you to stay hidden so you _wouldn't _get hurt." **

**"You said they had cattle prods! There's a high chance that they use it against the animals they capture! I won't let them get away. And I think I can handle it. With my backup." Zazu sighed and flew off. Nala roared angrily and the lions and rhinos jumped from hiding. The rhinos tipped over multiple jeeps. Nala cornered one hunter and pounced on him. The real reason she was so confident was that she knew she was a better hunter than Simba, so her strategies were more useful. Kiara went to run at a large hunter with a jaw as big as the gun in his hands. She bit into the rifle and tugged on it as he tried to pull it back. The large hunter threw her to the ground as he sent the butt of the gun into her jaw.**

**The gun was too chewed up to use, but the tranquilizer wasn't. He pulled out a tranquilizer gun and aimed it at Kiara. Kovu jumped from behind him and pinned him to the ground. The hunter held Kovu's jaw away from him as he tried to bite him. "Kovu!" Kiara shouted. The giant man threw Kovu off of him and aimed a pistol at him. Kiara jumped and bit the man's shoulder. **

**"Ah!" He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and threw her, hitting her head against a rock. **

**"Kiara!" He ran at the hunter angrily. A loud gunshot was heard that echoed throughout the land. The hunters grouped in one remaining jeep and drove off as the animals surrounded Kovu. Nala walked up to him. He was laying on the ground. **

**"Is he…?" Someone asked. **

**"No, he's still breathing. We need to get him some help. I have a feeling those hunters will be back." She picked Kovu up and dragged him away by his scruff. Other lionesses carried Kiara away. It had been a win and a loss. Kovu was damaged badly. His heart had just narrowly been missed. "We need to wrap up his wounds. Who's willing to go get an aloe plant?" No one answered. When they had got back to the hideout, Nala handed Kovu to Pumbaa. "Keep a close eye on him. I'm going to get something to wrap up his wound. Keep pressure on it and don't let him speak if he gains consciousness." She ran off in search of plants. Pumbaa splashed water on Kiara as she winced. **

**"Pumbaa…What happened?" **

**"You got hit in the head." She sat up.**

**"Kovu!" She nuzzled him as he groaned weakly. "Is he all right?" No one answered her. **

**"Your mother went to get something to wrap his wounds. He's alive." Kiara sighed and rested beside him. **

**"I hope Daddy's okay. If he were here, he'd know what to do." She sniffed and curled up by Kovu. **

**Simba shouted angrily as he slapped a rock out of his way. "I want out of here! Can't anyone hear me?" Sheba groaned as she opened one eye.**

**"_Everyone _can hear you. The humans can't _understand_ you. Shut up and sleep! You'll get yourself in trouble!" **

**"I won't be quiet! They kidnap us from our homes and trap us here and you're _okay _with this? How can you be so calm?"**

**"By not being a nutbag! I'm not okay with this, but I don't want to get in trouble. You don't know what they can do to you if you're acting like a cub." **

**"Well, you don't have a family to worry about!" Sheba stood up angrily and scratched his face. He stumbled back and growled.**

**"I _do _have a family. Just because you have more people in yours doesn't mean mine isn't a family. Now go to sleep or I'll knock you unconscious." Sheba didn't take her eyes off of Simba as she laid back down. Simba roared angrily as he paced around. **

**"Hey, Furball! Other animals are trying to sleep! We're not all nocturnal!" Sahara shouted from the meerkat exhibit. Sheba rolled her eyes. **

**"Now you've got other animals annoyed. Is there anything you _can't _do? Other than _sleep_?" Simba rolled his eyes at her and continued pacing. "Look, I know you're worried, but they're going to be okay. If they're _your _family, then you should have nothing to worry about, right?" **

**"I'm just worried because there's more hunters and I don't want to go back, expecting my family to be okay and see that the same thing happened to them that happened to me. Or worse." He grunted, shifting weight on his forepaws. **

**"Are you okay?"**

**"My shoulder. I think the dart hit something in my shoulder. It hurts a little, but I'll be fine." Sheba walked over to him and looked at his shoulder. **

**"It's probably just still getting over the tranquilizer. Try the water. You look like you could use a fresh drink." Simba walked over to the water, but didn't drink it. He stared at his reflection.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sahara woke, stretching as there was a loud commotion in the zoo. "What the heck is going on?" She looked over at the lion exhibit and kicked Timon awake.**

**"Ow! What was that for?" He asked. She turned his head toward the lion exhibit and his jaw dropped. News reporters and photographers surrounded it. "Whoa!" Sheba woke as cameras flashed around her. ****She took notice to what a blonde reporter was saying.**

**"We're here at the local zoo where others are trying to get a look at the lion that appeared on this morning's newspaper that resides in this very zoo. When questioning the zoo owner about comments he had about the lion, who gave a 5-year-old boy a ride on his back and handed him to his mother afterwards, the zoo owner said that the years this lion spent in the zoo had 'tamed' him, making him not hostile. Still, other visitors are dying to get in the zoo to look at this lion. If you ask me, this lion has a bright future in show business. What's in store for Africa's favorite lion? More after this short break." **

**Sheba jumped for joy as she ran over to Simba, who was sleeping away from her. She shook him awake. "Ugh, what do you hate about me getting sleep?" He asked.**

**"Dude, you have fans. Major fans. You're Africa's favorite lion! They can't sell you to Vera now!" **

**"What?" He lifted his head up as he saw news reporters everywhere. "What's going on?" **

**"Your front page incident's all over the news. Every one of these people are here to see you!" He looked at her. **

**"I haven't had this many people staring at me since the day I was born." **

**"So, I'm guessing no one was there when you killed your uncle." Simba looked up in thought and nodded.**

**"Yeah. Can I go back to sleep now? You haven't let me sleep at all since we've got in this zoo." Sheba pulled him up by his mane. "Okay, I'm up. What am I supposed to do? Pose?" He stretched, shaking his mane. Sheba shrugged. **

**"I've never had 1,000 people shoving others to get a picture of me. Do something spontaneous. Something that they'd never expect a lion to do. Eat a bug." Other reporters appeared as more cameras flashed rapidly. "Now's a good time to show everyone what's going on." Sheba roared for Sahara. "Sahara, dig up the papers and show them to the people!" Sahara nodded and dug up the papers. Before she could show the reporters, Clayton snatched them from her and stuffed them in his pockets. **

**She growled and went to attack, but Timon grabbed her by her tail and held her back. "Easy, Sahara." He said. **

**"That was our only chance." She whined. Timon sighed and let her go. Instead of attacking Clayton, she sat down. "Our only chance to get out of here." Timon patted her back and sat beside her. **

**"We'll get out of here. We always find a way out of messes." Sahara shook her head. **

**"We'll never get out." **

**In the pride, Nala awaited for anything to happen. Even if it was more hunters, she begged for something to happen. ****Anything. But nothing did. Finally, the suspense got to her. "I'm going after those hunters." She said to the pride. **

**"Mom, you can't. It's too dangerous." Kiara said.**

**"It's been months and we haven't heard a single thing from them. What if something happened to them?"**

**"Timon would have come and told us." **

**"What if something happened to all of them? I need to go in. I don't care what Simba said. He could be hurt and we may not even know it." **

**"Mom-" **

**"You can't stop me from doing this. Kiara, you take control of the pride now. Be the queen your father knows you can be. The queen he knows you are." Nala ran off as she left the pride standing, once more, not knowing what to do. Nala had left Kiara in charge of the pride. She didn't know how to control a pride, but if her parents knew she could do it, then she had to have faith in herself. Still, if something happened to her mother, how would she know if something went wrong? **

**Nala saw tire tracks. She was close to a hunter camping ground. She followed them and sure enough, there was a campground. All she had to do was get caught. But, how could she do that without being shot with a gun? What she didn't notice was the giant cursive 'VC' on the side of a van that was parked within the jeeps. Nala took in a deep breath as she walked toward the hunters. When they first saw her, they aimed rifles at her, but they then lowered the guns when she didn't attack. She allowed them to put her in the jeep. She also took notice to the van. 'VC'. **

**_VC? What does that mean? Zazu mentioned something about a fur company. They're not just getting animals for the zoo anymore. _****_They must be deciding whether they want me to be a fur coat now or later. _****A voice shouted at the hunters through a cell phone.**

**"I won't make a fur coat until I have enough animals in the zoo to make an entire line of it, you morons! Take the lioness to the zoo and put her with the rest of the animals! I'll be there tomorrow to see what you've managed to scavenge. And don't give me any dead or wounded lions! I've waited long enough for that other lion's bullet wound to heal because you morons at the zoo shot him!" Vera. Her voice wasn't as cold as it would have been in person. Nala knew that she was talking about Simba. So, Simba was still alive, that was good. But tomorrow, that could be a different story. Nala sat in the van for hours until the hunters decided that they weren't getting any other lions, so they got in the jeep and drove back to the zoo.**

**"Vera ain't gonna be too happy when she finds out we only have one lion. If she asks, _I'm _the one who caught her." One hunter said.**

**"No one caught her. She came to us. On the death wagon." They laughed as the jeep drove toward the zoo. When they got there, she immediately ran to the lion exhibit. Sheba looked over at Nala and rolled her eyes. **

**"Look, your girlfriend came back. She don't look too happy." Simba turned to see Nala. **

**"What are you doing here?" He asked. **

**"I needed to make sure you were ok. That Vera woman you mentioned. She's checking the animals here tomorrow. For an entire line of fur coats." Nala reported.**

**"Hasn't this lady ever heard of faux?" Timon asked. Sheba shook her head sighed. **

**"Vera only uses authentic African mammal furs and skins." **

**"Mammals? I wish I were a reptile." Nala looked at the tourists flashing their cameras and tilted her head. **

**"What's going on?" She asked. **

**"Your husband gave a boy a piggy-back ride, so we're trying to get the others to like him while trying to show the humans what they plan on doing with the zoo so when they find out, they'll petition to have it stopped that way Vera won't be wearing us." Timon answered in one breath. **

**"Oh." She looked over at Simba who was sitting doing nothing. "Good job." Sheba growled and stomped up to Simba. **

**"They're here to see you! Do something that will make them like you and _not _think you're an average lion! Juggle Timon and Sahara, do a backflip, swim! Anything!" She roared. Simba huffed and walked up to them. **

**"So, you want me to be a one-lion circus act?" He asked angrily.**

**"If it helps, yes." Simba's ears drooped as he felt a vein throb in his head. **

**"Well, what do I do? Sing the National Anthem?" **

**"No. Maybe you could do something you've never done before."**

**"Like what?"**

**"Take a bath!" Timon laughed a little. "Or win a fight against someone." Simba rolled his eyes and walked toward the pond. **

**"Why do I even bother? Nala, you shouldn't have come." Nala walked up to Simba and shook her head. **

**"We need you. I need you. The pride is lost without their king. What if you get shipped off to Vera's factory?" Sheba stood beside Simba.**

**"Then I go, too. I don't let anyone go down without a fight." She said. Timon groaned as he fell to his back. **

**"We're gonna die." He said. Riyu sat in the corner, listening to the conversation that was in progress. She didn't want to die. Not the same way her mother did. Riyu wiped a tear from her eye. Her entire life was a lie. All seemed hopeless. Riyu stood up and walked over to Sheba. **

**"Sheba…" She said in her small voice. **

**"Riyu. I'm sorry about lying, but I just didn't know how you'd take it if you knew the truth. Honestly, I didn't want to lie to you, but you were so young." **

**"I forgive you. If today is our last day alive, I don't want to spend it being angry at the only family I have. I'm sorry I said you were a joke." Sheba licked her forehead. **

**"I'm sorry I said I regretted saving you." One of the lions groaned. **

**"Get a room. You think that just because you two make-up, it will make everything okay. Well, it won't! You'll just die friends! We're all going to die." When they saw who it was, it was the only lion cub in there. Riyu growled.**

**"Who are you?" She asked angrily.**

**"Name's Seamus. ****And like you, I'm going to be shipped off in Vera's van tomorrow _if _she thinks there are enough lions to make fur coats. We're all going to die. If not tomorrow, then whenever." Sheba walked up to him and snarled. **

**"Don't talk that kind of stuff in front of my sister. Unlike you, I don't plan on dying like a common zoo animal!" **

**"Oh, what? Like your mother did?" Sheba roared at him and kept herself from attacking him. Simba stepped between them and looked at Seamus. **

**"Keep quiet. We don't need you causing trouble." He snapped. Seamus stuck his tongue out and walked back to the other lions. Simba looked up at the visitors. Kids were trying to break down the barrier just to pet him. It was scary how humans were excited over one small change. Scary and sad. Especially the little ones. Mothers and fathers had to keep their kids in their sight, gripping their hands tightly. The zookeepers pushed the crowds back. **

**"Look, we don't need the lions getting nervous because there are too many people around. They're not used to so many people." Clayton said. Sheba rolled her eyes. **

**"Now's your chance, Simba. Go up there and let those crazy children hug you. Let that annoying man eat his words before I go up there and eat _him_." Sheba pushed Simba toward the walkway, trying to shove him up the stairs. **

**"What are you doing? Are you trying to get me trampled by a giant mob of kids?" Sheba rolled her eyes as she gave him one more final shove. "Alright, alright, I'm going!" He grunted as he climbed up the stairs. The visitors watched as he put his forepaws on the gate, looking at the other humans. A young girl ran up to him and smiled as she put her face up close to his. Seamus rolled his eyes and watched as Simba smiled nervously when the girl hugged him. Ronnie came to the front of the crowd and laughed under her breath. **

**"Crazy old lion." Simba sat immediately and laid down at her feet. "What are you up to?" She crouched beside him and scratched his ear. **

**"It was Sheba's idea. Apparently I have to win the humans over so they don't want us to be sold to Vera." Ronnie rolled her eyes and patted his head. "But your brother took the papers from Sahara. We don't have any proof now." **

**"Don't worry. I think I have a plan. They can't understand _you _but they can understand _me_." She stood and faced the crowd. "Now that we're on the news, make sure this is being recorded. How many of you like this zoo?" The crowd mumbled in agreement. "And how many of you wear fur coats or anything made with animal fur?" No one said anything. "Well, this zoo isn't just a zoo; it holds animals that will eventually be sold to Vera Costelle. For those who don't know who she is, Vera Costelle is the owner of a fur company. She buys animals from here and turns them into her products. Months ago, she paid half a million dollars just so the zookeepers could shave off Simba's mane for her." The group of zoo visitors once again mumbled amongst each other. Nala walked up the stairs and looked at the crowd. "I used to be a zookeeper here, but I was fired because I wouldn't help the hunters find more wild animals. Simba, Sheba, and Nala were taken from their families. If we don't get them back to the wild, the animals here will be nothing more than victims waiting for their turn at the guillotine. Simba isn't the only special animal in this zoo. Every animal is. He may be just a lion, but he can understand us. Every animal can. Lions, meerkats, monkeys, alligators, any animal in this zoo. What the owner of this zoo is doing is wrong and he knows it." Clayton stepped up and pushed his sister out of the camera view, shooting a death glare at her.**

**"Ignore her. She's only saying this stuff because she wants me to get fired because she wasn't the owner of the zoo like she thought she would be. We are not selling animals to Vera Costelle. In fact, it's safer for the animals here. No hunters are here to hurt them like the animals on the outside-" Ronnie cut in.**

**"No hunters to hurt them? Is that so? Simba, come here." Simba obeyed and winced in pain as Ronnie put her hand on his shoulder. "Show the people your shoulder. Walk around." Simba put pressure on his right paw, feigning more pain than he knew he was in, just to get more people on his side. "He made an escape to get back to his family, but the zookeepers shot him in his shoulder. It hurts to put pressure on his right forepaw. Does _this _look like no hunters were there to hurt him? They're even hunting cubs now." Ronnie pointed to Riyu, who was hiding behind Sheba. One of the news reporters stepped up.**

**"These animals all have names?" He asked. **

**"Yes. And it's not the stupid domestic names that the zookeepers have named them."**

**"How do you know their names?" She bit her bottom lip and tried to think of a reason. The hearing aid in her ear was the only reason. Ronnie sighed and took the thing out of her ear.**

**"This thing. It's a special type of hearing aid that allows me to understand the animals. I can talk to them and even if I don't have it in, they can understand me." Everyone looked at her skeptically. "If you don't believe me, try it. Here. I only have one." The news reporter didn't take it. Clayton laughed as she went to put the hearing aid back in her ear.**

**A man from the back stepped up and held out his hand. "I'd like to give it a try. It'd be cool to talk to a lion, don't you think?" She put it in his hand. "All I have to do is put it in my ear?" **

**"Yup." Once he had it in his ear, he looked at Simba. **

**"I'm not hearing anything." Ronnie glanced down at Simba. **

**"It's okay. You can trust him." Simba sighed and rolled his eyes. It was getting harder and harder for him to walk on all four paws, so he shifted his weight.**

**He tilted his head up at the man and asked, "What do you want to know?" At first, the man was too surprised to respond.**

**"Are you going to answer?" **

**Seconds passed before he cleared his throat and said, "So, this thing really _does _work. Is this woman telling the truth?" **

**"Of course. She's the most honest person I know. She's the rightful owner of the zoo." The man nodded as if he were thinking. Simba looked around at the other people and roared angrily. "These people need to know that Vera will be back tomorrow. The zoo's just going to be a holding facility for animals that will become Vera's products. All of what she's told you, Ronnie, it's all true. My family hides every day because of hunters trying to get more animals." Nala stepped forward and looked the man straight in the eyes. **

**"Those hunters killed Kovu!" She growled. Simba jerked his head toward Nala.**

**"What?" The man shook his head in confusion.**

**"Who's Kovu?" He asked. Ronnie started to listen to what the man was saying. Panic struck her. How would Simba react to the news? She didn't have the nerve to tell him herself. Instead of the reaction she had expected, Simba just unsheathed his claws quickly, but they disappeared as quickly as they came. Ronnie crouched beside the distressed lion.**

**"I'm sorry. I didn't have the nerve to tell you. Are you mad?" She asked. Of course, if Simba decided to say anything, she wouldn't understand it. To her relief, he shook his head and licked her cheek. Clayton pushed her out of the way and snatched the hearing aid out of the man's ear. **

**"This is absurd! How do we know that he's not a paid actor?" He asked angrily. Ronnie tilted her head in a matter-of-face way.**

**"Why don't _you _try it on?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips. Everyone's eyes laid on Clayton, who tried to think of what to do. He wasn't willing to be proven wrong over some stupid animal. There was no way for humans to communicate with animals. It was impossible. Instead of putting the device in his ear, he threw it to the ground and stepped on it, making sure that it was crushed. "Clayton!"**

**"That's what I think of your stupid 'hearing aid'. Go home before you embarrass yourself." Before he could completely turn and walk away, Nala jumped in the way and bared her teeth. "Zookeepers, get this lioness under control." The zookeepers put restraints on Nala and led her back into the exhibit. She sat down without taking her angry eyes off of Clayton. Ronnie frowned at him and crossed her arms. **

**"Why did you do that?" She asked angrily. Clayton laughed. **

**"You think you're clever, don't you? Having an actor pretend that thing worked." Simba growled, but a look from Sheba kept him tame. Ronnie frowned and stomped away. She knew it was no good to argue with him. The man sighed and walked back into the crowd. "Now that the show's over, the zoo is closed today. We don't have any news for you. No more media." For some reason, Simba couldn't help but think that Clayton reminded him of Scar. Perhaps it was his narrow eyes or the way his voice sent chills down his spine. There was nothing more he could do than wait for Vera to come and take them after all hope had been lost of getting out of there.**

**Another week had passed until they heard the sound of Vera's car pull up. As usual, every animal was in hiding, not wanting to be seen. Every animal, that is, except for Sheba. She was waiting in plain sight as Vera was walking down the middle of the walkway. "Alright, what do you have for me?" She asked. Once again, the bumbling zookeeper was at her heels. **

**"Well, Ms. Costelle, we seemed to have reached a problem. For some reason, the hunters can't find any more lions and well our only male one is a bit of a hassle, so we can't-" She grabbed the front of his shirt. **

**"Are you saying that I don't have enough materials for my fashion line?" ****He started to stutter nervously. **

**"Uh, well, we've seemed to collect all the lions-" A commotion came from another room. To Simba's fear, he heard lions in the room, too. **

**"No." He said under his breath. As he feared, a lioness was thrown in, even though he didn't know her name precisely, but he did recognize her.**

**Clayton smiled as he patted Ronnie's back. **

**"Now that's a good girl. Welcome back to the crew." He shook her hand roughly, handing her a set of keys. Angrily, she punched him in the face. She turned to Simba with a worried face, but he glared at her before turning his back to her. Sheba's anger was more towards Vera. Nala, however was ready to rip Ronnie's throat out. **

**She mouthed the words, "I'm so sorry, guys." Vera walked up to Riyu. **

**"What a lovely coat this cub has. You will not take this cub in. Keep her in the zoo. I want her to be old enough to be made into a fur coat. Imagine the money I could make with that fur coat!" ****Angry, Sheba snapped at Vera, causing her to take a large step back from her. "As for the lion, I'll give you one more month to at _least _get one of these lionesses pregnant or I swear that I will shut this zoo down and _none _of these animals will even make it to fur coats! Because they'll be stuffed and shown at a museum!" Every animal growled at her as she walked out. **

**"Oh, that woman! If I were a carnivore, I'd chew her throat out!" Sahara shouted.**

**"Sahara, you're two feet tall and weigh five pounds." Timon pointed out.**

**"I'll…chew her toes off." He rolled his eyes. "Yo, meat-breath!" She called down to Simba. **

**"Not now, Sahara." He said, hanging his head low. "I thought I could trust her and she betrayed us!" He glared at Ronnie who was slowly walking away. The truth was, even though she felt upset, the feeling of punching Clayton almost made her feel better. Zookeepers grabbed Simba and started to lead him away. He was too upset to fight back. They brought him into a separate exhibit, though there was no one else.**

**What lioness were they going to pair him up with? **

**Nala growled as she saw the guards lead Simba away. She glanced over at Sheba, who was sitting, doing nothing. "Why are you just sitting there? We need to get him out of there! They could be hurting him!" She said. Sheba rolled her eyes.**

**"They're not hurting him. They're preparing him for the breeding program, weren't you paying attention?" **

**"The breeding program!?" Sheba rolled her eyes. "I'm can't believe that woman! We trusted her."**

**"Well, sometimes you can't trust people! It happens! Sometimes you think you can trust someone and then it turns out that they're just a backstabber. Get over it."**

**"I will not get over it! We trusted her and then she-"**

**"You allowed her to enter your safe-zone because Simba trusted her; you trusted her because she helped Kovu. Sometimes you just have to be careful who you trust."**

**"How are you so calm about this?"**

**"I'm accepting death. I give up."**

**Nala shook her head. "Well _I'm _not giving up. It's not over yet. We still have a month to figure this out." Riyu looked up at Sheba. Her eyes were wide with fear. **

**"We're not going to die, are we?" She asked with as much fear in her voice as her eyes. Sheba sighed and looked at her sister. **

**"I don't know." There was a familiar, yet friendly laugh coming from beside their exhibit. The lionesses looked at the exhibit and saw a baboon in a tree with a large smile on her face. "Oh great. We get a monkey." **

**"You two need to learn to look on the brighter side." She said. **

**"The brighter side of what? If we don't die tonight, we'll die in one month."**

**"That's the beauty of it. If you feel you have only one month to live, use it wisely. Forgive your enemies, put quarrels behind you, tell who you love your feelings, and-"**

**"And then what? Die a month later? Yeah, if we do that, we will have forgiven our enemies, but the only enemies we have right now are the ones who are _trying to kill us_!"**

**"They are just doing their job. But I mean your human friend."**

**"She's not our friend! She tricked us into trusting her and then led the hunters to the Outlands." Nala snapped. The baboon smiled and pointed over at Ronnie. A look of pure guilt was on her face. **

**"Does that face look like betrayed you? The last I checked, traitors did not feel guilty." Nala growled and looked at her angrily. **

**"Who _are _you?" **

**"My name is Nyani."**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: As you can tell, before reading this, I've changed it to where the chapters are shorter so my length problem will be solved. Mostly. Chances are, anyone who's read the story so far will have to skip a couple of chapters ahead.**

**"Father, I need your help. How do I get out of this? I need you more than ever." He splashed his paw against the water in a frustrated way and laid down. Sheba laid beside him and licked his shoulder. It hurt, but it was a good kind of pain. **

**"Sheesh, wh****y else would I get a noisy neighbor on the same day _you _come along?" Sahara asked Timon. **

**"You can't blame him. He misses his family." Timon said, yawning, half asleep.**

**"And you don't think I do? Why is it always the lions that are the noisiest? How can you sleep?"**

**"Easy, I raised him." Sahara stared at him blankly. "It's a long story. I can take you to meet him. That is, if you're not afraid." **

**"You know I'm not afraid of anything. But I'll leave the kitty to sleep." She rolled around and started snoring. Timon covered his ears angrily and pushed her. **

**"Stop snoring!" He fell to his face and went to sleep. **

**When morning came, Simba didn't sleep, but he had at least calmed down. Sheba, however, was sleeping like a twitchy baby. Her hind legs twitched as she slept. She woke with a jerk as a slab of meat was thrown by her face. "Food!" Simba didn't touch the meat they gave him. Sheba looked at him through the corner of her eye as she chewed her meat. When she tried to sneak toward his food, he quickly put his paw on it, his claws out. **

**"I'm saving it for later."**

**"No you're not. You're boycotting just to be a troublemaker." She soon ate the entire slab of raw meat and once again, tried to go for Simba's steak. "I wonder if this place is where all the hyenas went to." Simba stood up and looked around. **

**"I wonder…Banzai! Shenzi! Ed! Are any of you there?" Over in the hyena exhibit, three hyenas yawned as they woke up.**

**"Do any of you hear that? It sounds like our _king_." Shenzi said, stretching.**

**"It's probably just another bad dream you had, Shenz. Why would the _king_ be in a zoo? Was he demoted to house pet?" Shenzi looked around.**

**"Oh, really? Then how come I see the annoying kitty cat right there?" **

**"What? Oh, this is too good! Ha! He got caught?" The three laughed as they saw Simba. Ignoring their mockery, Simba looked up at them. **

**"How long have you guys been here?" He asked.**

**"Wouldn't _you _like to know?" Banzai asked angrily. **

**"Without Scar, I'm guessing you guys didn't do too well in defense against hunters, did you?" **

**"So, tell me, 'King Simba', how did they get the drop on you? I'd expect someone like you to be able to fight off hunters if you can defeat Scar. Oh wait, _we're_ the ones that beat him." Shenzi said. Ed laughed and Banzai smacked him to make him stop. He looked down at Simba. **

**"What do you want, anyway?" **

**"I need to know if there's a way out of here. Or at least if you know what part of Africa we're in." The hyenas looked at each other and then back down at him. **

**"What's in it for us?" **

**"If you give me enough information, I can get you three out, too." Sheba growled as she tugged on the steak under Simba's paw. Banzai noticed and tilted his head. **

**"I think your girlfriend's trying to steal your dinner." Timon snuck through the bars of the meerkat exhibit and climbed down to the lion exhibit. He hugged Simba's paw and patted him. **

**"Simba! Oh, thank God you're okay!" Simba shook Timon off. Sheba tugged the steak once more and rolled back, not realizing that Simba wasn't holding the steak anymore, crashing into the pond. The hyenas saw this and laughed. Sheba smiled as she swallowed the steak and then growled at the hyenas. When their laughter didn't cease, she let out a loud roar that filled the entire zoo. The hyenas stopped and hid behind each other. "Whoa. Talk about a loud mouth."**

**"Timon, what are you doing?"**

**"I just wanted to check on you and see how our little lion was doing because he was having a hissy-fit last night causing my night to be terrible." **

**"Couldn't sleep, huh?"**

**"Oh, I could sleep, _she _couldn't." He pointed to Sahara, who looked at Simba with confusion. **

**"_He's _a king? He's a giant hairball! He doesn't even have a crown." She said. Timon sighed and patted her shoulder. **

**"Simba, this is an old friend of mine, Sahara." Sahara walked up to Simba and plucked one of his whiskers. "What are you doing? You can't just go around and pluck whiskers from a lion! Do that to the wrong one and they'll eat you."**

**"I've done it before. I get away from all of them." Simba glared at her and looked back at Timon. **

**"Old friend?"**

**"More like 'ex-friend'." Sahara corrected, looking at the whisker. "So, Big Red, what's your trap?"**

**"What?"**

**"How did they catch you? The hunters…"**

**"Oh. Tranquilizer."**

**"Just one? I figured it would take more than one to take a lion down." Simba rolled his eyes and looked at her. "I know a way out if you're so eager to get back to your pride." **

**"You do?"**

**"Of course. I tried using it once with the three stooges up there. They're not much for help. You just need three things: thumbs, a way out, and a car." Simba tilted his head, eager to listen to her plan. "But I'll only help on one condition." She pointed to Timon. "You take Timmy with you." Timon crossed his arms and muttered to himself. **

**"Right, we'll take 'Timmy' with us." The hyenas broke out in laughter again. Simba shook his head. "Those guys get on my nerves…" **

**"Timmy! Ooh, that's rich!" Shenzi said.**

**"You know, I always thought Timon was short for something." Banzai said.**

**"Well, he's short for a meerkat." They laughed again. **

**"You know, maybe Timmy is short for Timon and Timon is short for Timona!" **

**"Check it, he's Timona Lisa!" Ed rolled over laughing. Banzai wiped a tear from his eye as his laughter quieted. "I crack myself up." Sahara picked up a rock and threw it over at the hyenas, who stopped laughing and growled at her. She put her hands on her hips and looked at Timon. **

**"So you're not gonna come with us back to Pride Rock?" He asked.**

**"Why should I?" He shrugged and looked at her.**

**"Well, one, it's your home! And two, don't you want to get out of this place?" **

**"Why would I? Everything's served to you here. This is _my _'Hakuna Matata'. No worrying about being eaten by hyenas, there's always food, and no you." **

**"What's wrong with me?" **

**Sahara blinked, realizing what she said. "Oh, come on! What's wrong with you? You dropped a tunnel on me!"**

**"You're still goin' on about that? That was years ago!" **

**"Well, excuse me for not jumping for joy to go back to those tunnels. It's nothing personal, but I don't want to spend all my days hiding from predators and digging tunnels. You even said it once, we dig so we can hide and hide so we can dig."**

**"That was the old me."**

**"The old you?" Simba rolled his eyes and separated them with his paw. **

**"Look, we don't need to have an argument. You two, go back to your exhibit. And stay away from each other until you two cool off. Go." Timon and Sahara snuck back to their exhibit. **

**"It was years ago." Timon muttered.**

**"Zip it!" Sahara snapped as she climbed back into her hammock. Timon stuck his tongue out and mocked her.**

**"Look at me. I'm Little Miss Independent. I hold grudges. I don't need anyone to care for me because I'M SO MEAN!" Sahara rolled her eyes as she ate a grub. **

**Simba looked at the hyenas. "You guys came close to escaping?"**

**"Yeah, what's it to ya?" Banzai asked. Shenzi laughed.**

**"I think he wants _us _to help him." She answered. Banzai looked down at Simba and shook his head.**

**"Man, you crazy. Why should we help you?" He asked.**

**"If you help us, we'll take you with us." Simba answered. The hyenas' laughter stopped and they all looked at each other, considering his offer. They huddled together and talked amongst themselves. "If you don't want to, we'll gladly take help from the meerkat. She doesn't even _want _to ask anything in payment. You'd just slow us down anyway." **

**Simba turned his back to them and smirked as Shenzi said, "Wait, wait, wait. Simba, it's so nice to see you again. After all, you _did _beat Scar and return your kingdom to its natural glory, right?" Ed pointed to his left and right. "There is an exit on the end of each trail. Just follow the cement, don't take any bridges."**

**"Is that it?"**

**"No, you also have to watch out for the night guards. They carry the little shock sticks and dart thingies with them." Banzai added. Simba remembered the 'shock sticks'. The same kind that had gotten him in the leg. His claws dug in the dirt as he thought about it. **

**"Any strategies?" **

**"Yeah, don't do it if you want to live." Shenzi pushed him out of the way and put her front paws on the pole that separated the hyenas from the humans.**

**"Don't go talking too much. The humans can't understand us, but they know when we're up to something, so don't act too out of the ordinary." Sheba walked up to them and patted Simba's back. **

**"So in other words, don't behave. They might think you're old and put you down." **

**"I already have a bad shoulder. A 'hitch' in it. Didn't you hear him?" Sheba yawned and smacked her lips. **

**"I'm sorry. I wasn't listening. Did you say something, princess?" He growled at her and looked up at the hyenas. **

**"Are you three in?" They looked at each other and nodded. "Good." Banzai mumbled as he chewed on a bone. **

**"So, what's the plan?" He asked. Sheba looked over at Simba, expecting an answer. He sighed and looked up at them. **

**"We'll wait for tonight." **

**"Why tonight?"**

**"That's when there's the least amount of humans guarding this place." Shenzi and her brothers blinked at each other as Simba went to rest in the shade. Sheba walked to Simba and raised her eyebrow.**

**"What's the _real_ reason you want to wait until tonight?" Simba looked at her and smiled nervously. **

**"I don't have a plan yet." Simba looked in the sky and saw Zazu flying. "Zazu?" Zazu landed in front of him and bowed. **

**"Sire, I have unfortunate news. The hunters, they're making camp in Pride Rock."**

**"What?"**

**"Nala and the other lionesses went to fight them off. I regret to say that she sent me off before I could see the results. But I heard gunshots when I was flying."**

**"Gunshots?" Sheba stepped up and looked at Zazu.**

**"What about my sister?"**

**"Oh, Riyu is fine. Pumbaa-"**

**"Pumbaa? You left _him _to babysit her?" Simba asked. **

**"He was the only one wanting to stay behind and watch her while they planned an ambush." **

**"What's wrong with Pumbaa?" Sheba asked. Simba sighed. **

**"He's just a little clumsy."**

**"_How _clumsy?"**

**"Well…not clumsy, more like dim." Sheba unsheathed her claws and growled angrily. **

**"What's wrong with Pumbaa?" **

**"Uh…he landed on my daughter once."**

**"What!?" She looked angrily at Simba. "Why would you let him watch your daughter if he sits on her!?" **

**"He's just a warthog." Sheba growled.**

**"A _clumsy warthog_ is watching over my little sister. ARE YOU INSANE!?" She jumped on Simba, her claws aiming for his face. He growled and kicked her off of him. **

**"She'll be fine with the lionesses, too. I know you're worried about her, but there's not really anything I can do." Simba looked as zookeepers walked their way and glanced over at Zazu. If they saw him, he'd be stuck there. "Sorry, Zazu." Zazu winced as Simba put him in his mouth, waiting for the zookeepers to pass. They stopped and looked over at Simba. **

**"Ah, he's just making another fuss about nothing. We should get used to it." One said.**

**"Keep it down. Other animals don't want to hear you. Stupid animals." The other one said angrily. They walked away, talking to each other. Simba glared at Sheba.**

**"Shut up."**

**"What did _I _say? I wasn't making the fuss. You got a little feather on your face." Simba spat Zazu out and looked at him. **

**"You'll have to plan your trips so you'll make it when there are less people around." He whispered. Zazu looked up at him and sighed. **

**"But, Sire, how will I know when there aren't humans?" Zazu asked, shaking drool off his wings. Simba looked away to think.**

**"There's less people at night. Plan your route by flying two hours after your original times. You should get here at night if you do that. Now go! And when you get back, the first thing I want to hear from you is how everyone is doing." Zazu nodded and flew off. Sheba didn't say another word as she laid down in the shade and drank some water. **

**"So, you can plan a route for a bird, but you can't plan your own escape." Simba started pacing, thinking about the hunters.**

**Nala came back with a leaf and wrapped it around Kovu. "How is he?" Kiara looked up at the others. **

**"Will he be okay?" She asked. One of the lionesses nodded. **

**"The bleeding stopped about a half an hour ago." She answered. Kiara stood and growled. When she went to walk away, her mother stepped in front of her.**

**"Where are _you _going?" She asked.**

**"I'm going to find those hunters and hunt them. They need to pay."**

**"You're not going anywhere. You saw what happened. We barely made it out alive. And that was with _help_."**

**"They have guns. We're lions. We _kill _hunters."**

**"Kiara-"**

**"Mother, if you don't let me do this, more of us could get hurt. Or worse." Nala sighed and shook her head.**

**"You're not going anywhere. You have a head injury."**

**"I am the daughter of Simba. I can do this." She pushed her mother out of the way. "We need to do this for Daddy. And for Kovu. If I do this alone or not." Before Nala could say anything else, Kiara ran off. Riyu stepped up and looked at Nala. **

**"Is my sister going to be okay? She's not dead, right?" She asked. **

**"No, of course not. She's safe with Simba. We'll get her back. Somehow." **

**Riyu swallowed and then added nervously, "I want to go with Miss Kiara." **

**"What?" Riyu nodded and looked at the ground. **

**"My sister was taken by them. I won't let them get away with it!"**

**"You're just a cub." **

**"Didn't anyone tell you?"**

**"Tell me what?"**

**"It's not the size of the cub in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the cub." Nala watched in disbelief as Riyu followed Kiara. She looked at Pumbaa. **

**"Go after them and bring them back the moment a gunshot is fired, understand?" Pumbaa nodded and followed. Riyu ran up to Kiara.**

**"Miss Kiara, wait up!" Kiara stopped and watched her as she ran up to her. "I'm coming with you."**

**"What are you doing? This is too dangerous for a cub. Go back with the others." **

**"I'm not leaving! You have as much reason as I do. They got your father, but they have my sister." Kiara sighed and looked ahead. **

**"Stay close to me." Riyu nodded as she got in a pouncing position. Kiara gave a low growl as she saw a jeep. Hunters surrounded it. They seemed to be scared about something. She smiled because she knew exactly what they were scared of: them. **

**"Look, boss. We're not dealing with just any old animals. These are smart." One said. The leader laughed at them and picked his tooth. "It's like the whole attack was planned." **

**"You're paranoid. Animals are stupid. They can't plan an attack. You were just in a feeding ground." He said. Kiara crouched down and literally felt her heart beat. **

**"Okay, Riyu. When I give the signal, we'll pounce them. Ready?" There was no answer. "Riyu?" She looked around and didn't see Riyu anywhere. Just then, Riyu leapt from seemingly nowhere and dug her claws into a hunter's face, meowing. Not roaring, meowing, angrily. Kiara took in a deep breath and jumped on a hunter. The other hunters ran off, leaving the two hunters being attacked and the leader. He reached into his jeep and pulled out a rifle. The aim was targeted on Kiara. Before he pulled the trigger, Pumbaa came out and charged at him. The hunter dropped the gun as Pumbaa threw him in the air. Riyu laughed at the hunter and ran up to Pumbaa. **

**"Wow, Mister Pumbaa! You're really brave." She said. Kiara looked at the dirt and glanced ahead.**

**"There's tire tracks leading away. I'm following the tracks to find out where they have Daddy." She informed. Riyu gave a holler as the lead hunter laughed and grabbed a different gun. Instead of aiming for Kiara, he shot a net at Riyu and threw her in the jeep. Kiara jumped on him, trying to fight the net gun out of his hands. She felt something crack in her jaw as he jammed the butt of his gun into it. **

**"Kiara!" Pumbaa shouted as he picked her up and ran back toward the pride. Riyu tried to fight out of the net as the jeep drove off. **

**"Sheba!" She cried out. **

**"We're not really gonna help him, are we?" Banzai asked Shenzi. **

**"Of course not. We just need to have _him _get _us _past the guards and then we'll make a run for it, leaving him and his stupid girlfriend helpless." Shenzi said. Banzai and Ed snickered quietly as they plotted their escape. "All we need to do is get him to fight off the guards while we sneak off." **

**"But, what if it doesn't go like that?"**

**"Please, the hunters have guns. He's going to be too busy trying to avoid getting shot to realize we ran off without him."**

**"What if the hunters realize that we're escaping?"**

**"That's the brilliance in it! They're gonna be too busy fighting him off." **

**"Oh. I like your thinking sister." **

**Timon looked at Sahara, frowning. "Why won't you let it go?" He asked angrily. She opened one eye and groaned.**

**"Why? Why _should _I let it go?" She asked. Timon opened his mouth to come up with a reason, but closed it, deciding it wasn't a very good reason. "Well? I'm waiting." **

**"Okay, other than that, why do you hate me? What did I do?" Sahara sat up and crossed her arms. **

**"It's not what you did, it's what you didn't do."**

**"What didn't I do?"**

**"What did you do? Well, here's thing for starters. You didn't apologize." Timon's jaw dropped and he shook his head.**

**"You mean that you held this grudge after all these years because I didn't apologize? Well, I did apologize."**

**"No you didn't!"**

**"Yes I did."**

**"You said 'my bad'. That's not apologizing."**

**"It's not?"**

**"No. It's not."**

**"Oh. Well, it's assumed that I apologized."**

**"Assumed? Oh, brother."**

**"What?" Sahara shook her head.**

**"Nothing." **

**Timon heard familiar laughter come from an exhibit beside them. Shenzi looked over to him and laughed. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Hero Meerkat." She said. **

**"Oh, hi, Shenzi. How's it going?" Shenzi rolled her eyes.**

**"Oh, just fine. I'm in a zoo! Wait, aren't you the same meerkat who walks around with that warthog?"**

**"Yeah, so?" The hyenas laughed and Banzai got on one knee. "Oh man. Not the relapse." **

**Banzai put his paws together and mocked Timon. "Shenzi Marie Fernatora Veldetta Jacquelina Hyena, will you do me the honor of being my bride?" They burst out laughing again. Sahara raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms.**

**"You proposed. To a hyena." She said. **

**"It was only to stall while my family prepared a tunnel to trap the hyenas." Banzai continued to mock Timon.**

**"We can make it work! I know what you're thinking, what will the kids look like?" His siblings burst out laughing. Sahara rolled her eyes. **

**"You are just…wow. You know, the more I see what you've done in my absence, the more I'm wondering how you can survive on your own." Banzai held his gut as he was laughing.**

**"Wait, wait, wait! Remember the little hula dance he did? With the little grass skirt!" **

**"Oh, and the little tricks he did!" Shenzi added, laughing. **

**They joined backs and said in unison, "You can be a big pig, too!" and burst out laughing once more. Timon hid his face in his hands as Sahara even broke out laughing. He looked up in the sky, his cheeks burning. **

**"And I thought Simba had social issues…" He muttered.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Simba growled as he waited impatiently for Zazu to return with news. Sheba rolled her eyes. **

**"You sent him out an hour ago." **

**"I'm worried, okay? How can you be so calm? We're trapped in a zoo!" Sheba yawned and looked at him. **

**"Who says I'm not worried?" **

**"You're just laying down and resting in the shade. What's wrong with you?" **

**"Uh, I'm a lion! Lions sleep in the shade. What world do you live in?"**

**"What kind of lion doesn't want to get back to their pride?" **

**"The kind of lion that doesn't have one. Remember?" Sheba stood up and looked at her reflection in the water. "It's just me and my sister." Simba sat beside her and sighed.**

**"Is she really your sister? You two seem too far apart in the age to be really sisters."**

**"You're a smart lion. In the category of ages, at least. A few years ago, I found her abandoned in the elephant graveyard. My mother agreed to take her in as her own. Ever since the hunters took my mother, I've been the only one watching over her." Simba shook his head. **

**"You're wrong you know."**

**"Wrong about what?"**

**"About everything. You _do _have a pride. And Riyu isn't alone. Neither are you." **

**"I don't have a pride."**

**"Riyu is part of your family. A pride's a pride no matter how small. You don't consider yourself part of _my _pride, do you?" She shook her head.**

**"Why should I? Even if I wanted to, I have authority issues, so I wouldn't listen." **

**"You know, you remind me a lot of myself when I was younger." Sheba sighed and looked up at the hyenas.**

**"I wouldn't trust them." **

**"I don't, but they have information I don't." Suddenly, the zoo grew quiet. Every animal backed away from the walkway. "What's going on?"**

**"Didn't you notice how there hasn't been a single zoo visitor today?" A lion cub asked.**

**"So? Doesn't that just mean it's closed?"**

**"Not _just _closed. It's closed for someone special. Someone you don't want to like you." Sheba backed up as if she knew what he was talking about. Even the hyenas hid. Sahara hid in a hole and dragged Timon down as she poked half her head up to watch.**

**"You don't want to get seen by her." She said. Timon looked around.**

**"By who? An invisible woman?" He asked.**

**"By Vera Costelle." Sheba's fur stood on end as that name was said. "She's the owner of a major fur company. If you want anything covered in fur, she can make it happen." Timon gulped nervously and watched as a skinny woman in a fur coat walked into the zoo. "Her resource? Zoo animals she buys from here." **

**A zookeeper walked by her, talking quickly. She either wasn't listening or didn't care. "Look, we need a week notice before you come in. You only called yesterday." He said. She shoved a wad of money in his chest. **

**"That should shut you up." She said. Her voice was as cold as the look on her face. He swallowed and put the money in his pocket. **

**"What type of animal are you here for? Hyenas? Meerkats? Snakes?" **

**"Lions." **

**"Oh, I'm sorry. We're running low on lions, but I have cheetahs." Vera opened the door to the lion exhibit and ignored the growls the other lions gave her as she walked by them. Simba slowly walked to the corner Sheba was in.**

**"Is it just me, or is she staring right at me?" He asked.**

**"Not you. Your fur." Sheba answered, even though she wasn't staring at Vera to clarify. Simba sat with his head held high as he tried to ignore the thoughts of how many animals were killed to make the giant fur coat. But something caught his eye that was hanging around her shoulders. A lioness. If she took interest in him, there was no telling what would become of him. A throw rug, his head stuffed and hung on a mantle, or even a nice fur coat like the one she was wearing. She only seemed interested in his mane, though.**

**"Hmm. How much will you charge for his mane?" She asked.**

**The zookeeper shook his head. "You don't want any merchandise from him. He's troublesome enough. Shaving his mane would only make him more irritable." The zookeeper said. Vera tapped her foot and pursed her lips. **

**"Fine, how much will you charge if I offer to buy him off of you completely?" Sheba caught a glimpse of Vera and her eyes fell to the lioness around her shoulders, too. **

**"No." She roared angrily and jumped on Vera, her teeth bared. Simba roared at her and Sheba reluctantly got off and walked over to Simba as she whispered, "That's my mother." **

**Simba was quiet for a moment and said, "You don't want that to happen to you, too if you don't behave." The zookeeper helped Vera to her feet and dusted her off. **

**"I apologize for that. She's not usually the type to give us trouble." He said nervously. Vera pushed him away and picked up her fur coat.**

**"No need. Now about buying that lion."**

**"I'm sorry, but he's our only male lion and we need one."**

**"Then I'll take his mane." The bumbling zookeeper opened his mouth, but Vera grabbed his shirt and her eyes seemed to ignite. "You don't want me to get angry." He swallowed nervously and shook his head.**

**"We'll charge $50,000 for his mane." She shoved money in his chest.**

**"Done. But, I'm also looking for a pet. Any suggestions?"**

**"How about a cute kitten?" She smiled evilly.**

**"Very well." Vera walked over to the lion cub and picked him up. "How much for this one?" The zookeeper shook his head. **

**"We just got that cub a few weeks ago. Why not go check the pet store down the street? I hear they have the cutest calico kittens." Vera growled and looked at the other animals of the zoo. **

**"Fine, These animals are all bland, anyway. But, I'll be back in a few days to collect my fur." She walked up the steps and out of the zoo with her nose as high as it was when she came in. The animals let out a harmonious sigh as her car drove away. **

**"Sheba, the way you looked at her, it was as if you came across her before." Simba said. Sheba sighed and looked at Simba. **

**"If I tell you this, you can't tell Riyu." Simba nodded. "My mother wasn't killed by hunters. She was taken by a fur company. I told her it was hunters because it would have hurt worse if I told her the truth." **

**"But that doesn't explain how you knew her. Was she there when they got your mother?" Sheba shook her head. **

**"This is what you absolutely cannot tell Riyu. I came across her before. In a zoo." Simba looked at her. "I was raised in captivity. Zoos always traded me. One time, a jeep transferring me hit a bump in the road and I fell out. Of course this was before Riyu." **

**"Why'd you keep this a secret?" Sheba looked at her paws.**

**"Riyu thinks that zoo animals are a joke. I don't want her thinking I'm a joke. She means so much to me." Simba looked at her and sighed. **

**"I don't think you're a joke, Sheba." She looked at him and gave a small smile. She rested her head on his shoulder.**

**"You got lucky today. Normally if she likes you, she'll want to wear more than a mane." **

**"Well, what can I say? Women love me." **

**"Your mane _is _nice." Zazu flew back and landed in front of Simba, panting. **

**"Sire…I have…unfortunate news." Simba stood up, paying attention. "Kiara went after the hunters that attacked."**

**"What?" Simba asked angrily. **

**"She's alive, but I'm afraid she was hurt. Along with Kovu, who I'm afraid was gravely injured. And…Riyu is missing." **

**"WHAT!?" Sheba asked. Zazu winced and hid behind Simba. **

**He cleared his throat and attempted to continue. "She joined along Kiara as she went after the hunters. I'm afraid that she may have either went after the hunters or have been taken by them" Sheba roared angrily as she pounced on Zazu. **

**"YOU LET MY LITTLE SISTER GO ON A HUNT!?" Simba watched as zookeepers walked into the exhibit. From what he saw, they were there to feed the lions. That didn't matter. Kiara and Kovu were hurt. No one hurt his family. He jumped on one of the zookeepers and by instinct, sunk his teeth into his arm. Other zookeepers ran in and subdued him. He was led away by a rope being held by someone. **

**"I've had enough of this lion. Let's make sure that this doesn't happen again." The big hunter said. Sheba watched as they led him into a room. The zookeepers strapped him to a cot and shined a light above him. Simba felt several zookeepers hold down his paws as they struggled to file down his claws. He tried to swing his paws, but they held down his paws tightly. His eyes focused on one tiny thing that he knew was going to be used: a razor. Not an old-fashioned one, but an electric razor. The woman zookeeper that had talked to him stepped up and pushed the others off. **

**"Stop it! The only reason he's acting like this is because he's scared. You would be too if strange creatures stole you away from your home, wouldn't you?" She asked angrily. The big hunter stepped up to her and laughed. **

**"The last I checked, you were just a newbie. You don't know anything about animals. They're like kids. When they misbehave, whether they know what they're doing or not, they need to be disciplined."**

**"Is that why you have him strapped to a table like a surgery victim?" **

**"We're just getting rid of the poor kitty's claws. Is that a problem?" He took the cigar out of his mouth and then blew smoke into Simba's face. "I didn't think so. Shave his mane and put a muzzle on that animal."**

**"Is that all you see animals as? Ways to make money?" The hunter stopped walking and laughed, shaking his head. It was then who Simba realized who she reminded him of: Nala. He couldn't put his finger on it, but for some reason, she did. Maybe it was her spirit, or how she always seemed to defend the defenseless. Or maybe it was her eyes. They were the same color as Nala's. Simba looked away as the zookeepers finished filing down his claws. He gave up trying to fight when they started shaving his mane. The Nala-woman put her hand on his face and looked at him. "Don't worry. You'll make it home. Your mane will grow back and you can go back to your family." She scratched behind his ear and whispered to him. "And your little messenger will stay a secret." He stood up and tried to walk up to her as she walked away, but they grabbed him and held him in place.**

**When it was done, they put a muzzle on him and led him back into the exhibit. The zookeepers attached the muzzle to a leash and tacked it by a tree. He ignored the stares he was getting from the other animals. Sheba looked up angrily at them and shouted, "What? This happened to him because he was doing what you were too cowardly to do! He fought to get back where he belongs!" They all looked away and continued with their business. Timon looked over at the lion exhibit and sighed.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I think this is a tad longer than my previous chapters. Still no new information. Unless you have not read the other chapters before.**

**"Poor Simba…I ain't ever seen him this sad." Sahara sat in her hammock and rubbed the ear that was missing a chunk out of it. "What's with you?" **

**"She's wrong, you know."**

**"What?"**

**"That lioness. She's wrong. I tried escaping once, that's how I got this." **

**"Really? Mind explaining? I've got time for a story." Sahara sighed and moved over him to sit beside her. **

**"Well, let's see, It was when I first came here. This escape was my last attempt. I snuck out of the zoo and was this close to getting away." She held her fingers an inch from each other. "But the tag on my ear got caught on the gearshift on the jeep I took. I tried to pull my ear free, but unfortunately, the gearshift was stronger. After the zookeepers took me back, I decided that I should try to just go with the flow. And sooner or later, I started to see the good in this place." Timon sighed and jumped down from the hammock.**

**"You know, if we get out of here, it's not gonna be a Hakuna Matata without you." Sahara watched as Timon walked away. Simba looked at Sheba. **

**_Where's Zazu? _****Simba's eyes seemed to say. With the muzzle on, he couldn't really speak.**

**"He left when they took you in that room. I told him that you weren't going to die."**

**_Heh, thanks._**** Sheba licked his forehead. **

**"You know, you're kind of adorable without a mane." **

**He let out a scoff that seemed to say, _Yeah, nothing says adorable like a lion chained to the ground with a muzzle._ Sheba laid in front of him and stared. _Why are you staring at me?_**

**She shook her head and smiled. "No reason. I just never realized how big your head was. Funny. I thought it was just your mane that made it look big." Simba rolled his eyes and looked away. "Buck up. I'm sure that sense you look like a maniac, you won't be bothered by Vera." He sighed and stood up. **

**"I don't understand how anyone can like being caged and trapped like an animal like this!" Is what he wanted to say. Sheba opened her mouth to speak, knowing what he was thinking, but he looked at her angrily, _Shut up, I know what I said._ Hours passed and soon, the moon was high in the sky. Simba twitched in his sleep as nightmares filled his dreams. **

**Hunters surrounded his family, Vera was leading the pack of them. Simba watched helplessly as his family was downed in seconds. He saw his family, no, his family's corpses being thrown into a jeep headed toward a fur factory. No matter what he did to try and stop the jeep, nothing worked. Each time he ran faster, the jeep would get farther and farther away quicker than he could run. Finally, he fell to his face, tired and aching. Before he could stand back up, a cage surrounded him and it started moving on a conveyor belt. Toward the fur factory. As he slowly moved on the conveyor belt, he saw the hanging bodies of his family. He closed his eyes, but the images lingered even in his closed eyes. The cage door opened and the three hyenas' laughter could be heard as the cage tipped into a pit. The voices of his family were heard as he fell down the endless pit. **

**"Where were you when we needed you?" Nala asked.**

**"Why didn't you come for us, Daddy? We needed you?" Kiara said.**

**"I _died _for you." Kovu said. He landed and saw three pillars. Each of them held Kiara, Nala or Kovu. Nala looked down at him. **

**"Our pride was killed because you weren't there to help us!" She shouted.**

**"Nala, I tried to-" Simba tried to say, but Kovu cut in. His look was probably the worst look anyone had ever given him. It was filled with hatred.**

**"You tried to what? Keep your mane from being shaved? My life was taken because you were no king. You were just a coward!" **

**"Daddy, I fought for you. I tried to bring you back. What did you do for me?" She asked. Nala jumped down from her pillar. Her look went from sadness to anger. She suddenly started pacing around him.**

**"You're no king. You failed your pride. You will never be as great a king as Mufasa! He never failed his pride! He died saving you! And you repay him by killing the very spirit that he harbored!" **

**"No! I tried as hard as I could, but no one was there to help me!" Simba said.**

**Nala shook her head, still pacing. "You need others to help you! And I thought you were a king! Where's that pride you always carry around? Or did it disappear with your mane? You're not a king! You don't even have a mane! As far as I'm concerned, you're just as much of a king as I am now! You're nothing!" **

**"No!" Kiara and Kovu jumped down, too, their eyes filled with red. **

**"You like living with the humans, don't you?" Kovu asked. **

**"No! I tried to come back to you guys!"**

**"Is no all you can say? Listen to you! You're pathetic!" Kiara looked at Simba. **

**"Why didn't you come back for us?" She asked.**

**"He enjoys having people feed him and take care of him. He doesn't care about us. He never has. Is this what you dreamt about when you wanted to be king? Humans worshipping you while they kill your family at home? You're no king. You're just a waste of fur, a waste of space, and a waste of our time. A disgrace." **

**A voice he didn't even recognize sang, " Deception. Disgrace. He asked for trouble the moment he came. "**

**The singing continued as a light shined brightly on Simba as Nala jumped back on her pillar. Simba watched as the room filled with hyenas. "You are guilty of treason. This is punishable by death. Any last words?" She asked.**

**"Nala, I tried the best I could, but they had guns and they were-" Nala roared angrily.**

**"Guns? You claim to be a mighty king and your excuse for why you turn your back on us is guns?"**

**"Nala, I-" **

**"Kill him!" The hyenas jumped down and surrounded him. He didn't have enough time to react before they pounced on him and their teeth tore into his flesh. Simba woke up with a jolt, sweat running down his face, panting. He looked around and saw Sheba and Riyu standing in front of him. The zookeepers had brought Riyu in earlier. Sheba had almost attacked them if she had not realized that Riyu needed her. **

**"Bad dream?" Sheba asked. He nodded, realizing how much the muzzle itched. "Us, too." Riyu walked up to him and nuzzled her head against the bottom of his chin.**

**"Can we sleep with you, Mister Simba?" She asked. He nodded and they rested beside him. The hyenas watched angrily from their exhibit.**

**"Great! With Mr. Red-head chained up, we can't go through with our plan." Banzai said. Shenzi laughed under her breath.**

**"You doubt me too much, Banzai. With what happened earlier, the workers will be too busy keeping an eye on them. Now's our chance to escape. Let's go." **

**Simba snarled angrily when he made the discovery the next morning. The hyenas had made the escape successfully. Zookeepers searched all over the zoo for them, but Simba knew that they were miles away by now. The 'Nala-woman', which is what Simba decided to call her, looked at the hyena exhibit, frowning as if she were trying to think. She looked down at Simba and sighed.**

**"How did they know that this was a good time to escape? Are these animals smarter than we give them credit for?" She asked herself. The owner of the zoo walked up to the hyena exhibit and growled under his breath. "These weren't any ordinary hyenas, sir. They _knew _that all eyes would be on the lions and they took advantage and escaped." **

**"It wasn't planned. We had poor security and the gates were left unlocked. Just a big coincidence." **

**"Is it also a coincidence that you have gotten three lions in one week?" He turned around to face her.**

**"What are you getting at?"**

**"I don't think you're just getting animals for a zoo. I think you're targeting lions for a specific reason. Maybe because you just want more money from Vera because you know she's been dying for a fur coat made from lions for years now."**

**"I got three lions because they came to us. Plus there was a meerkat, remember?" She shook her head and walked away. Sheba woke and stretched, yawning. When she noticed Simba's anger, she didn't say anything. It would've gotten him madder. Timon and Sahara snuck into the lion exhibit and Timon let out a surprised yelp when he saw Simba.**

**"Jeez, buddy, do I _want _to know what happened to you?" He asked. Simba looked away with an ashamed look. **

**"He can't speak because of the muzzle." Sahara jumped on Simba and smiled. **

**"I can take care of that problem." She undid the latch in the back and the muzzle dropped to the ground. Simba yawned, stretching his jaw, for it had locked up a little overnight. "Better." **

**"Thanks." He continued stretching his jaw and rubbing his face. Sheba watched as the Nala-woman walked down into the lion exhibit and snuck over to Simba and the others. Timon and Sahara went to hide, but she shook her head. **

**"I'm on your side. You don't need to hide from me." They stopped and looked at her. She sighed and crouched in front of them. "You planned on escaping with the hyenas, didn't you?" They all looked at each other and nodded. Either she didn't notice that the muzzle was off, or she didn't care, because she made no attempts to put it back on. Maybe she really _was _on their side. "I wish I could help, but there's really no way to sneak two full-grown lions, a cub and two meerkats out of a zoo in mid-day." She scratched behind Simba's ear as she stood up and walked away. Sahara noticed that a set of keys were dropped. **

**When she picked it up, she knew that it was no accident. "Looks like we have ourselves a human ally." She said as she dangled the keys. Simba's ears perked up and he leaned in close to her.**

**"What did you just say?"**

**"What? We have a human ally?"**

**"That's it! That's what Rafiki was talking about a few days ago."**

**"What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" Timon asked. Simba sighed and looked at the Nala-woman.**

**"Rafiki told me that you can get allies in the most unlikely places. This is what he was talking about. He knew this was going to happen." There was a long silence and then Timon and Sahara broke out in laughter. "What?"**

**"You think the monkey knew you'd be stuck here? Pfft! That's rich!" Timon said.**

**"If he knew this was going to happen he would have told you not to go to the hunters." Sahara added, leaning on Timon for laughter. **

**"This isn't funny. That means he knows she's our way of getting out of here." Simba said. They continued laughing.**

**"Because she dropped her keys?" Timon asked. Simba shook his head and growled. **

**"Sahara, you even said that she was our ally."**

**"Because she knows I know how to drive the jeep." Sahara answered. **

**"And you think that's a coincidence to what Rafiki said?"**

**"Of course I do. One, I don't know Rafiki, so he's just crazy at this point. And two, we're never getting out of here because no one ever has."**

**"What about the hyenas?"**

**"That was just lucky. You see this piece of my ear missing? That was from my last attempt to escape. It never works. I tried ten times before I gave in. It never worked before and it never will. Try and enjoy it here, you'll like it. Besides, I don't think you want to go back to your pride looking like a lioness, do you?" The two meerkats broke out in laughter again. Timon fell to the ground, holding his gut. **

**"That was a good one!" Timon said. **

**Sheba growled and roared, causing the whole zoo to go quiet. "Shut up! Act your age for once. These keys may be our only chance of escaping. Whether we make it out or not, it's worth a try." Timon smiled and clapped his hands.**

**"Wow, where'd you get a pair of lungs like that? _You _should be king. No offense, Simba." Sheba just groaned and rolled her eyes.**

**"Is there _any _animal in this zoo who isn't a total moron? That goes for you too, Simba." Sahara put the muzzle back on Simba and patted his head. **

**"Good luck. You'll need all you can get." She crawled back into the meerkat exhibit, still laughing. Timon sighed and rubbed his neck. **

**"Look, buddy. I know you want to get back to your family, but sooner or later, you have to leave the past behind you. It saves you from getting hurt in the future. I'll be with you through the end, you know I will. I always have been, but sooner or later, you gotta give it up, okay?" Sheba smiled and leaned next to Timon. **

**"Looks like your ex-girlfriend's leaving _you _in the past, too." She motioned up toward the meerkat exhibit and he saw her talking with a male meerkat. **

**"Whoa, whoa! Who said anything about her being my ex-girlfriend?"**

**"Is she?"**

**"Yes." Sheba rolled her eyes and walked toward Riyu, who was still sleeping. Timon angrily stomped up to the meerkat exhibit and walked up to Sahara. "What the heck is this?" **

**"What's what? Oh, Timon, meet my friend, Jacque. He just transferred from a zoo in France." Timon raised an eyebrow.**

**"I didn't think they _had _meerkats in France." Sahara giggled and swung in her hammock. "So, listen, Harry, about that set of key-" Sahara shoved a grub in his mouth.**

**"Eh, hehe, _excusé moi_." She pulled him out of earshot. "One, don't call me Harry, I'm naming my son that if and when I have a son. Two, don't mention the keys."**

**"Harry? What kind of name is that? What if you have a daughter?"**

**"Kerry."**

**"Uh-huh, and if you have more than one kid?"**

**"Barry, Larry, Sherrie, Gary, Terry, Jerry, and Mary." Timon blinked. "Oh, and if there's one extra one, I'll name it after his father."**

**"And if it's a girl you're gonna name it after her mother?"**

**"Maybe." Timon counted on his fingers.**

**"So you want ten kids? Oy. How many 'arrys' can you get after that?" Sahara rolled her eyes and punched his arm. **

**"I never said I wanted ten kids, those are just the options." Timon rubbed his arm and smiled. **

**"That's what I like about you. You stood up for yourself and you weren't afraid of anything." Sahara sighed and looked at the sky. **

**"I _am _afraid of some things. When I was first captured, I was petrified."**

**Timon smiled and put his arm on her shoulder. " At first, I was afraid. "**

**" I was petrified. "**

**" Didn't know how long I could go without you by my side. " She rolled her eyes and shoved him away. **

**" Go on, now go. Walk out that door. Just turn around now, you're not welcome anymore! I have all my life to live. " **

**" I gave all my love to give… "**

**" And now you're back, from outer space. " **

**"Oh, come on…"**

**" I will survive! Go on now, go. Go out the door. I don't want to see your face anymore. " Timon sighed and got to his knees.**

**" I'm sorry I'm bad! I'm sorry I'm blue! I'm sorry about all the things I did to you and I know I can't take it back. I love how you kiss! I love all your sounds. And baby you make my world go 'round. I know, I can't take it back. I'm sorry. " Sahara rolled her eyes and pulled him to his feet. **

**She poked his chest. " How many times have I kicked you out of here, or said something insulting? Baby, I can be so mean when I wanna be. I am capable of really anything. I can cut you into pieces. Like my heart is: Broken. " **

**" Can't you tell that this is all just a contest? The one that wins will be the one that hits the hardest. And baby I don't mean it, I mean it. I'm sorry. "**

**" It's too late to apologize, too late. I said it's too late to apologize, yeah, yeah. " **

**" Let's talk this over, it's not like we're dead. Was it something I did? Was it something you said? Don't leave me hanging in a city so dead. Held up so high on such a breakable thread. "**

**" You were everything I thought I knew and I thought we could be everything, everything that I wanted. We were meant to be, supposed to be, but I lost it. All this time you were pretending. So much for my happy ending. " **

**" I miss you, I miss your smile and I still shed a tear every once and a while. And even though it's different now. You're still here somehow. My heart won't let you go and I need you to know, I miss you…I miss you. " Sahara rolled her eyes. **

**"You don't give up, do you?" **

**"Nope." **

**"Get off your knees, you look pathetic." He stood up and dusted himself off. "Okay, it's clear you're still not over me, so I'll cut you some slack. That doesn't mean we get back together, it means that I won't linger in the past. Besides, that goes against leaving the past behind me." Timon smiled nervously. "And if you _ever _fall to your knees again and start singing, I'll cut you." He nodded and raised his right hand up.**

**"I solemnly swear that I will never sing again." **

**"Good. You are forgiven." Sheba sighed and started bathing Riyu. She groaned and pouted as she licked her forehead.**


	6. Chapter 6

**"I don't want a bath." Riyu complained.**

**"Well, you have to so you can look nice for all the people who visit this place so they can see how pretty you are." Sheba said.**

**"I don't want to be pretty! I want to be a hunter. Hunters aren't pretty!" Sheba raised her eyebrows.**

**"_I'm _a hunter. Are you saying I'm not pretty?" Riyu laughed nervously. **

**"No." Sheba rested her head on her paws.**

**"Well, I'm pretty, so I'm not a hunter, right?" Riyu darted her eyes back and forth, trying to think of an answer and quickly ran to the other lions. Sheba laughed and looked over at Simba. He seemed to be lost in thought. His mind trailed back to what had happened yesterday. The zookeeper had told Vera they needed a male lion. But, for what? It wasn't just to make it look like a full pride. That would be too obvious. What was it? He started to pace around the tree, thinking. Suddenly, it hit him. "What's wrong with you? Cat got your tongue?" He needed to get the muzzle off so he could tell her. **

**Zazu flew in, looking very grave. His jaw dropped when he saw Simba. "Sire, what happened?" Sheba shook her head. **

**"He can't speak. The muzzle keeps him from speaking. A fur woman wanted his mane for a fur coat. And he attacked zookeepers." Riyu ran up to Zazu. **

**"Mister Zazu! How is everyone? I hope they're okay." She said. Zazu shook his head and sighed.**

**"I'm afraid not." **

**"What happened?" Sheba asked. **

**"Kiara is fine, she just suffered a jaw injury. Kovu…" **

**"What happened to him?" Riyu asked. **

**"I'm afraid he isn't too well. The wound in his chest. It need to have medicine, but, well, we're animals. We don't think he's going to make it." The Nala-woman walked into the lion exhibit, hiding something in her pocket. Zazu gasped as he saw her come their way. Sheba shook her head.**

**"She's on our side." Zazu sighed in relief, fearing that he would have to be 'eaten' again. The Nala-woman handed something to them.**

**"This will keep any hurt lions you have from getting infected wounds. Rub it on the wounds. Only a little bit. If it burns, that means it's working." She handed the medicine bottle to Zazu. It was as if she could read their minds. **

**_How did she know about Zazu? Did she see him? That has to be it. But how did she know that someone was hurt? _****Simba thought. Of course, she had to know about the other hunters, but it was a little too convenient that she showed up with medicine as Zazu informed him about Kovu's infection. Zazu nodded and went to fly in the air, and the Nala-woman patted his head gently. **

**"Lead the way and I'll meet you there with more medical supplies to help." Riyu ran up to her with big eyes, begging to go with. She shook her head and sighed. "I wish I could take you with me." **

**Sheba pulled Riyu back and whispered in her ear, "You're safer here than with them." The Nala-woman quickly ran out of the exhibit as other workers opened the door on the ground. The workers, as usual, were carrying meat for the lions. They slowly took the muzzle off of Simba as they put a slab of meat in front of him. He sat there, not moving. "Uh, you're supposed to eat it." Simba looked at her and passed the meat to her. She tilted her head and looked at the meat. A couple of days ago, he wouldn't let her touch the meat, but now he was giving it to her? "What's with you?"**

**"I don't want to talk about it."**

**"What? Afraid that the meat's one of your family members?" He shot a glare at her that made her smile go away. "What is it?" **

**"If I told you, you'd laugh at me."**

**"Is it that bad?" **

**"Yeah." Sheba rolled her eyes and looked at the scrap of meat. She sat next to him and growled at the zookeeper, who walked away quickly. **

**"I promise I won't laugh. Or tell anyone else." He sighed and looked at her. He mumbled something under his breath. She leaned in closer. "What? I couldn't hear that." **

**"I don't eat meat." **

**"What do you mean? Of course you do. You're a lion." **

**"I was raised by Timon and Pumbaa. I lived off of grubs."**

**"So…you don't eat meat. That would make you a vegetarian." **

**He laughed a little. "I guess it does sound silly when you put it like that." **

**"You're a vegetarian." Simba sighed and laid down.**

**"Go ahead and laugh. And technically, grubs aren't vegetables."**

**"No, they're just bugs. So, you're not an herbivore or a carnivore. Definitely not an omnivore. You're a…grubivore?" **

**"Now I really sound stupid. Go ahead and laugh." Sheba almost laughed, but covered her mouth and shook her head. **

**"No, you have enough social problems as a lion without a mane. What's that called? Oh yeah, you're a lioness." Then she lost it. She broke down laughing. He growled and looked away. "That's just too good. I thought you were just anti-social because you were stuck-up, but now I see it's because you're a loser." **

**"Shut up. At least I don't lie to my family." Sheba's laughter stopped. She walked up to him angrily and snarled. **

**"I only do it to _protect _her."**

**"You do it to protect your pride. You're too proud to admit that you grew up like a pet. That's all you ever will be." Sheba growled as she sent her claws across his face. He backed up against the tree as she walked over to the other lions.**

**Zazu flew in the air, considering what he was doing. Leading a human to a pride of lions. She said she could help, but he wasn't sure if the others felt the same way that Simba did in trusting her. She had medicine that could help, but would they let her? The lions saw a jeep in the distance.**

**"More hunters." Nala said. She looked at Kovu, who was panting for air. Kiara laid beside him, wanting to get the hunters and kill them, but she was banned from the defense until her wound got better. **

**"What are we going to do? More lions have died than hunters." Kiara said. It was true, but they still stood tall. **

**"They shouldn't come this way. Remember? They think this place is abandoned." The lions watched as the jeep stopped in the distance and only one figure got out. Zazu flew in the air and landed in front of Nala. "What's going on?"**

**"I know you're against this, but I brought the aid of a human." Zazu said.**

**"What? Why would you do that?"**

**"I'd recommend trusting her. Simba sure does. She brought medicine for Kovu and other medical supplies. She's on our side." Nala shook her head.**

**"Why would Simba trust her?"**

**"She knows how much he misses you and she's doing all she can to help. And there's one small thing about Simba that you should know." **

**"What happened to him?" **

**"Well, the thing is, a woman from a fur company wanted a new fur coat and she really liked him-"**

**"What? Don't tell me he was sold to a fur company!" Zazu shook his head rapidly. **

**"No. _He _wasn't, but his mane was. I'm afraid his mane was shaved." Nala sighed in relief, happy that nothing _too _terrible happened to him. The Nala-woman slowly walked up to them, so not to disturb them. Zazu flew to her shoulder and landed on it, showing that she should be trusted. Nala sighed and let her pass by. When she got to Kovu, she looked over at Kiara. **

**"Don't worry. I'm here to help him. I promise. And if I fail to help him, you can take out your anger on me." She patted her sides to show that she didn't have any weapons on her. Kovu opened his eyes slightly and looked at Kiara. **

**"Kiara, I'm sorry I failed to protect you. I…only wanted…Upendi to be safe. You…Upendi…and the rest…to be safe." Kiara nuzzled him and fought tears. **

**"You did fine, Kovu." The Nala-woman stroked Kovu's mane. His rapid breathing slowed down to normal as his eyes closed again. Kiara looked at the human and backed up, letting her know that she was trusted. The other lions watched as she put the medicine on Kovu's wound. As she predicted, it burned. Kovu roared in pain and Zazu warned them that it would burn, so they stayed back. **

**"This will definitely hurt. I'm stitching his body up and then I'll wrap his wound in a bandage. Okay?" What surprised Zazu most was not that Kiara responded, but that she waited for her to respond. Kiara nodded and watched as the only good human she ever met stitched up Kovu. When it was all done, she even put a bucket of water and scraps of meat out for the other lions before getting back in her jeep. Nala jumped in front of the jeep before it could get started. It didn't look like she was too intent on moving either. "What do you want from me?" She put the jeep in reverse and started to move, but Nala jumped behind the jeep, causing it to draw to a stop. The Nala-woman sighed and got out of the jeep. "What?" **

**"You seem to understand us. I want to come with you." Nala answered. The woman sighed.**

**"No, you can't come. We have enough issues. Your pride needs its queen to protect it."**

**"Well, it also needs its king. Why didn't you bring him back?"**

**"I can't sneak out a full-grown lion in front of 100 zookeepers who do everything to keep him _in _the zoo." Nala opened her mouth to say something, but shut it and decided to bring up another point.**

**"You _can _understand us, can't you? That's how you knew Kovu was hurt, _that's _how you knew he was more than just a stupid animal, isn't it?" She sighed and looked at Nala. **

**"Yes, I can understand you. I was right. You _are _smart lions, just like I thought." Nala looked at the woman again.**

**"I'll repeat once again, I want to come with you. And it's not a question, it's a demand." The woman looked at the lions and groaned. **

**"His name is Simba, right? Look, Simba worries every night about your safety. Believe it or not, staying out here is safer, but only if you don't confront the hunters. I've seen what goes on in that zoo. I've seen Simba. It's driving him insane and thinking about getting back to you, it's the only thing that keeps him sane. You, your daughter, and Kovu. If I take you to him, it would only make it worse for him. And, you wouldn't want to see him now. Besides, your pride needs you more than you think. Without you, they have no leader. No one to believe in." Nala shook her head.**

**"You're wrong. They _will _have someone to believe in. They will have both Simba and I to believe in. They'll believe that we can make it back. Now, I'm _telling _you, I'm coming with and if you refuse this offer, I'll let the hunters take me." The woman laughed and scratched her head. **

**"I can see why Simba's so crazy about getting back to you. You never give up." She allowed Nala to jump in and started the jeep. "But, in two more days the same woman who paid half a million dollars for his mane will be back. She's…a fur addict, so don't get on her bad side or she'll be wearing you." Nala nodded and laid down. Kiara ran up to the jeep.**

**"Stay here, Kiara." **

**"I will, but I just want to say be careful. And try to keep Daddy out of trouble. You know how he can be." Nala nodded and licked her daughter's forehead. Zazu flew up with a very worried look.**

**"Madam, I don't think this is a very good idea." He objected.**

**"Simba would do the same for me." Nala answered. **

**"But, this is not how he would have done it."**

**"Well, I'm not him. If I were him, I'd be thankful that there's still someone who believes in him." Not another word was said as the woman drove off. Zazu sighed. **

**"Well, she's definitely Simba's wife and there's no doubt about that. Whether she's sane is beyond me." Kiara looked over at Kovu, who started to stir. She ran over to him and licked his cheek. **

**"Kiara…" He mumbled. She helped him to his feet and he looked around. "What did I miss?" She laughed and nuzzled her head against his. **

**"A lot more than you think." She answered. **

**The jeep arrived at the zoo in the middle of the night. It had to be timed that way so no one would notice her sneaking Nala in. She quietly led her into the lion exhibit. "I'm warning you now before you notice him that you won't like what you see." The woman said. Nala ignored her as she slowly walked into the exhibit. The lions were sleeping in one big pack. All except for three lions. That was when she noticed Simba. He was sleeping and it looked like he was having a nightmare. **

**He was surrounded by darkness yet again. This time, though, it was not pitch black, but there was smoke everywhere. Everywhere, he saw lions and hunters killing each other. Nala stood in the center of it all, her eyes shut to block out what was seen. "Nala!" He wanted to say, but no words came out. She looked up at him, but not with hate or anger, but fear. Like she didn't even know him. "Nala, it's me, Simba." He wanted to say, but for some reason, he was forced not to. She backed away from him. He heard himself say, "Another kill." _No! Don't say that. What's wrong with me? _Nala walked up to him as if she recognized him. **

**"Simba, what happened to you? This isn't you!" **

**"Nala, it's me! What do you mean?" He then heard himself say, "Come with me to the zoo. It's safer there." Nala shook her head.**

**"Who are you? Simba wouldn't say that." **

**"I only want what's best for you. You'll grow on the zoo. They do everything for you. If you don't become a zoo animal, I'll have to hunt you." Why was he saying this? Nala backed up again and shook her head.**

**"You're not Simba. You've become one of them!" One of who? Simba looked at his reflection in a puddle through his peripheral vision. The inner part of him cried out in fear when he saw it. He wasn't a lion, nor was he empty-handed. A loaded gun was in his hand. Of course, he didn't know it was loaded for sure, but it was a little too heavy to be empty. **

**_No, this is not me! Wake up! _****Nala shook her head in disbelief. **

**"You're not Simba. I won't come with you." **

**_No. Don't do it! _****Simba tried to take control of his human body, but he guessed a human mind ran it, too. Because Nala's words became no more than grunts and growls. He could no longer understand her. He felt his body pick up the gun on his side and cock it. _No! _The gun was aimed at Nala. _No! _His finger lingered on the trigger. Simba jerked awake as a gunshot was heard. Simba took deep breaths and exhaled sharply.**

**"Simba." Nala said. He jumped a little and looked at her. He stood up and wanted to say something, but the zookeepers had put the muzzle on tighter, assuming that it slipped off. She seemed to understand. "It's not a dream. I'm really here." Simba looked angrily at the human. **

**"Don't look at me. She wouldn't take no for an answer." The woman said. Nala laughed under her breath and smiled.**

**"You look almost like you did when you were a cub." She looked at the woman and laid down next to Simba. He could tell she was upset, but was trying to hide it. The Nala-woman walked away and let them get to sleep. **

**Days passed and the zoo was unsurprisingly closed for the day. Every animal hid in every hiding spot they could think of. When the car of Vera stopped in the parking lot, not a sound was made as her heels hit the ground as she walked in the zoo. The zookeepers kept Sheba on a leash, too. "Riyu, no matter what happens, you have to keep with the other lions and whatever you do, do _not _look at her. Understand?" Sheba asked. Riyu wanted to object, but Sheba gave her a look that made her crawl to the other lions. The Nala-woman sat beside Simba and the others as Vera stormed in. **

**"Where's the fur? It should have been in my hands five minutes ago!" Vera shouted. Sheba kept glancing at Riyu, making sure that she wasn't staring at Vera. It would only make it worse if she saw what she was wearing. Nala didn't know what was happening, but Simba wanted her to go with the others. She obeyed, but stayed in the front. Vera walked into the zoo, shouting now. "Where is it? I've been waiting forever!" The woman zookeeper stood up angrily. **

**"It's waiting for you where it belongs. But in case you're still looking for a kitten, I'll be glad to lead you to the pet store." She said. Vera snarled, but her face returned to normal.**

**"Well, where is it? Lead me to it!" The zookeepers went in the back room to retrieve the fur. "And if I want a lion cub, I can very well buy one all I want. I just need the right amount." Nala growled as she saw the fur coat Vera was wearing and the lioness around her neck. Sheba constantly looked over to see if Riyu was still hiding. She was until Nala roared angrily and bumped to the front.**

**"Riyu, get in the back!" Sheba shouted, but it was too late. She had already seen Vera. And the lioness. "Riyu." The small cub let out a small gasp and hid behind Sheba "I told you not to look."**

**"That's Mom." She said meekly. **

**"I know." Nala wanted to fight, but she knew it would be useless. The zookeepers brought Vera the fur. As she grabbed the fur, Nala roared at her angrily. Vera snarled at her with a look of disgust.**

**"Oh, shut up, you stupid animal." She said angrily. Simba watched angrily as Vera struck the back of her hand across Nala's face. He jumped at her, breaking the leash on him. The muzzle was still on him, but that didn't keep Vera from fearing for her life. Zookeepers pulled him off of her and dragged him away. Vera stood up angrily. "That's it! I want that lion in a bus, shipped off to a factory to become a fur coat! I'll pay an amount of money for that to happen! Money is not an option for me!" **

**"Sorry, but he's not for sale. None of our animals are." The Nala-woman said. Vera scoffed and glanced over at Simba. **

**"I suppose there's a reason that he's chained and muzzled?" **

**"We had to keep him like this since you wanted him to be shaved to make your fur coat. Remember? I guess you wanted that to have something of a male lion while Sheba's mother hung around your neck." Vera scoffed, letting out a small laugh.**

**"Sheba? And which of these pathetic lions did you name that?" The woman stomped her foot, getting irritated.**

**"They're not pathetic lions. And she wasn't named here, she came here with that name. And Sheba happens to be the one that tried to kill you, remember?" Vera looked over at Sheba, who was looking ready to pounce, too. **

**"How did she know my name?" Sheba asked herself. **

**Nala leaned in and whispered, "She understands us." Vera scoffed and threw the stuffed corpse of Sheba's mother to the ground. **


	7. Chapter 7

**"She can have it. I should _give _my old clothes to the less fortunate." Sheba roared, trying to escape from the leash. The zookeepers saw the leash snap and held her back. They couldn't understand her, but the Nala-woman could.**

**"Let me kill her! She killed my mother!" She shouted, getting closer every second. The Nala-woman shook her head. **

**"Vera, you have exactly one minute to get out of my zoo or I'll make them let her go." She said.**

**"Oh, your zoo? It's your zoo, is it?"**

**"Yes it is. My father owned this zoo, and now I do. The only reason it even allows fur hunters like you to be in it and buy animals is because-"**

**"Because Daddy didn't think you were responsible enough to own the zoo, so he handed it to your brother. Who hates animals. So it's not your zoo." **

**She didn't speak for a few seconds. "Because my brother stole it from me. Now get out before I have the police on you." Vera laughed even though she made her up the steps, shaking her head.**

**"They're a bunch of stupid animals. They aren't going to arrest me for talking down to a bunch of animals." **

**"No, but they _can _arrest _me _for assault. And I don't think you want _me _to attack you. It's almost as bad as a lion attack." Vera stopped at the steps and laughed. "Well, what do you know, it's been a minute." Sheba pulled from the zookeepers and ran at Vera. She stopped inches from her face, her teeth bared and her eyes blazing. Simba saw Sahara run in and crawl up his neck. The muzzle dropped to the ground and the first thing Simba did was let out a great roar that might have rivaled Sheba's. Might have. The other lions joined in with their own roars. Vera walked up the steps angrily, knowing that she had lost. "Don't worry, guys. Even if you're in a zoo, as long as I'm around, no one will hurt you." **

**"We'll see about that." Vera muttered, walking out of the zoo. The animals gave out a cheer as they realized no animal was sold. The lions' attention went to the stuffed lioness corpse in the middle of the exhibit. No one went near it, but no one looked away. **

**"What do we do with that?" A lioness asked. Sheba stepped up.**

**"Nothing. She left it here to intimidate us. We burn it and never speak of it. She won't win." She answered with utter confidence. **

**"Burn it? That's a lion! Is that what _you _do with your dead?" Another asked angrily.**

**"I say we bury it." The first lioness said. Sheba shook her head. **

**"No! Trust me. We burn it." Sheba repeated. The lionesses growled angrily.**

**"Why should we listen to you? What do you know?" She looked down at her paws and growled. She remembered her mother talking about death. That she wanted to be burned so no animal would dig her up and eat her corpse. So no scavengers would get to her. **

**"She was my mother and she wanted to be burned. Even after death, animals are of use to Vera. I've come across her before and she'll take any animal as long as it's not decayed. Would you want _your _corpse turned into _this_? A fashion accessory? I know I wouldn't." No lioness objected or even made a sound. "We burn her." Riyu walked up to Sheba, sniffling. **

**"What do you mean you came across her before? You said hunters killed Mom." The little cub pointed out.**

**"I know what I said. I only said it because you wouldn't like the truth." **

**"You lied to me? Why did you just stand there and let that happen?"**

**"I was a cub! What could a cub do to protect her mother? Meow for her life?" Riyu shook her head.**

**"…You broke the leash, but you couldn't break hold of the zookeepers."**

**"So? There were five of them holding me back." **

**"Why didn't you attack them?"**

**"Because I don't want to harm humans."**

**"Why? They trapped us here. They have us hostage. What reason do you have for not hurting them?"**

**"I want to stay _alive _as long as I can." **

**"They're humans. You could have killed them!" Sheba turned to her sister angrily.**

**"But I'm not a killer!" She ran over to the tree and laid down. Riyu walked over to her sister. "Everything you know is a lie. You should have just stayed with the others like I told you!"**

**"What do you mean you're not a killer? What about the hunts? The food?"**

**"Scraps I stole from other lions. You should be careful with who you trust. That's why we live in the middle of nowhere, so we don't have any animals for me to fail to hunt. I'm nothing but an escaped zoo animal. This is where I belong." **

**"But-"**

**"But nothing! You said zoo animals were a joke and you were right. We have our food handed to us, we like to be groomed, we love attention, and we can't survive on our own." Riyu ran to the other lions. Zazu flew in the lion exhibit. **

**"Sire, I'm proud to say that Kovu is making a fine recovery and, what's going on? Did I miss something?" He asked. Nala walked up to him and threw the pelt of Sheba's mother in front of him. "AH! What in the name of Pride Rock is that?" **

**"What becomes of animals in zoos eventually." Nala answered gravely. She looked over at Sheba. "Her mother." Zazu slowly walked away from it and exhaled. **

**"Well, the lionesses want to know what to do for food. The hunters' camps are getting closer to the Outlands and they fear they don't have long before they're discovered." Simba picked up the scrap of meat that he was given and handed it to Zazu. "But, this is your food." **

**"Don't argue with him. It's the best they're going to get." He sighed and turned to the Nala-woman. **

**"Excuse me, madam, but I suggest you dispose of that pelt properly. And soon. I don't think that's buffalo that I'm smelling." She shook her head.**

**"It's not. It's cheap perfume and a rat." She picked Zazu up. "Come on, I'll get some more meat." They walked away, leaving the lionesses and Simba alone. Sahara looked around and held up the lioness scarf. **

**"Oh, don't be so down. Vera's gone. And this is going into the furnace tonight." She said. Timon followed her and gagged at the sight of the lioness scarf. **

**"Yeesh. Who's the interior decorator here? We need to have a talk." Sahara glared at him. "What?" She shook her head and hopped on Simba's back. **

**"So, big guy, do you have yet another brilliant plan to escape? You can't really do much tied to a tree." He shook his head and laid down.**

**"I give up. You were right. There _is _no escape from this place. You try and try, but they're prepared. The hyenas' escape was just luck. We're stuck here forever!" By this time, the zookeepers had left and brought chains to hold Simba and Sheba down. They didn't notice the meerkats. Timon patted his paw. **

**"Don't give up so soon. You haven't even tried yet." He rallied.**

**"She's tried ten times to escape and not once has she escaped. For her, escaping is as simple as crawling through bars and cracks in doors. _You _try helping a lion escape from this place. It's useless." Sahara held up the keys. **

**"Oh, I don't think so. I won't escape with you, but I know my way around this zoo, so I can help. All you need to do is get a jeep and drive." Timon snapped his hands.**

**"Yeah. All he needs is a driver's license, a human body, and thumbs!" **

**"You doubt me. He _has _thumbs, they're just not his." Timon tilted his head, but backed up once he realized what she was talking about. **

**"Whoa, whoa! I am not driving a 200 pound lion all the way back to Pride Rock." **

**"You'd just be steering, moron. You'll need a booster seat, a way to hide them, maybe a giant blanket or something, and someone to control the gas pedals." Timon nodded, but stopped.**

**"Which one's the gas pedal?" **

**"Oy. Just put a brick on the small one." Simba shook his head. **

**"That plan's well thought out, but how are we going to get a jeep that isn't torn up or being driven by a human already?" He asked. Sahara sighed.**

**"Look, I've tried this before with more animals and it almost worked, but-"**

**"Yeah, almost."**

**"It didn't work because I messed it up. But I've learned what not to do, so I can tell you exactly what _to _do." **

**"Fine, but how do you plan on getting us off of these chains? I'm guessing that they don't just make them with latches." Sahara looked at the chain leash and shook her head. **

**"No, but they don't have it like a secret service lock either. You could probably snap it if you ran fast enough."**

**"How fast?"**

**"Fast enough to head butt a charging bull and hurt _him_." He rolled his eyes. **

**"That fast, huh?" **

**"You're a 200 pound mammal and you can't even run fast enough to hurt a bull." Nala stood beside Simba and rubbed her head against his. **

**"We'll think of something." She said. **

**"It had better be soon." Simba said.**

**"Why?"**

**"Three days ago, when Vera wanted to buy me, one of the workers said they needed me. Well, they needed their only male lion."**

**"So?"**

**"The zoo's only keeping me because they want to put me in a breeding program." **

**"Whoa!" Timon said, backing up. "_I _don't have to be put in a breeding program, do I? I'm too young to become a parent!" Sahara smacked him upside the head. **

**"You only get into the breeding program if they need more of the species and if there's more than one male, you might not get picked." **

**"Were you ever put in one?"**

**"No. They have a lot of meerkats." Timon sighed in relief. "Why are _you _relieved? Afraid that I might already have a family?"**

**"What? No, I'm uh, just relieved that I don't have to be in one. Hehe." Nala leaned in close to Timon.**

**"Is she a friend of yours, Timon?" She asked.**

**"Oh, yeah. Nala, this is a friend of mine, Sahara." Sahara smiled and waved.**

**"I don't think there's a lion he doesn't know." Sahara said sarcastically. **

**"Sahara, this is Simba's lioness, Nala. She tried to eat me and Pumbaa once, but we're good now.**

**"I bet you screamed like a little girl."**

**"Did not! I screamed like a big girl." Sahara rolled her eyes and stepped on his foot. "Yaaaah!" He hopped on one foot, holding the other. **

**"Like a little girl." Timon growled and pointed his finger at her angrily.**

**"You…" Nala blinked and looked back over at Simba.**

**"Do you really think they're going to put you in a breeding program?" He nodded.**

**"It's the only explanation I could think of. And even though _you're _here, I don't think that woman can convince them to pair me up with you _if _I'm right." **

**"Of course you're right. Every animal will have to do it eventually." Sahara said. **

**"So, you think that they're going to force you to breed with another lioness?" Nala continued, ignoring Sahara. **

**"Yeah, and I think I know who." He said, trying not to let Nala notice that he was glancing over at Sheba. Nala groaned angrily and stormed over to Sheba. **

**"This is all your fault! Because of you, we're going to be stuck in this zoo forever!" Sheba looked at Nala, but didn't say anything. "If you hadn't run your big mouth-"**

**"Your family might have been dead. If I didn't say something, _you'd _already be mantled on someone's wall while Riyu and I were safe in the Outlands. You don't think I hate it here?"**

**"Well, you don't seem to be doing anything to get out." **

**"You see that stuffed lion corpse over there? That's my mother, okay? She was sold to Vera when I was just a cub. I watched her be locked in a cage headed toward a fur factory. Not only was she sold, but the reason she was sold was because she acted out. I behave because I don't want to end up like her. If you don't want the same thing to happen to you or Simba, I'd suggest you do the same." **

**"We can't just sit here and do nothing!"**

**"There's nothing we _can _do! We either die trying to escape or we die in the zoo. In the zoo, we live longer." Nala growled angrily.**

**"I'd rather die doing what's right than die a coward like you want to." Sheba twitched her nose, but didn't say anything. "Your mother died protecting you. And you want to die in the very captivity that trapped her?"**

**"Leave my mother out of this."**

**"Why should I? She fought for you to be free and dying here will just kill what she fought for."**

**"I tried my best. I'm not a fighter. If I was _half _the fighter she was, I might have been able to escape the hunters." Nala shook her head.**

**"No, you could have, but you allowed yourself to get caught so Kovu wouldn't. I thought that was a sign of bravery, but now I see it was just an excuse to die the way you were raised. Like a house pet." Sheba stood up and sent her claws across her face. Nala gave a low growl and attacked her. She sank her teeth into her nose as Sheba dug her claws into her back. Simba tried to step between them, but the chain leash was too far from them. **

**"Guys, cut it out!" He shouted. Nala backed up from Sheba and scoffed. **

**"Too bad that leash isn't extendable." Sheba looked as if she were laying down, but as soon as Nala turned her back, she ran at her, breaking the leash and tackling Nala. Their faces were inches from each other. Sheba growled, trying to decide between killing her and letting her go. **

**"You'd better watch your back. This house pet has more to her than you think." She said before getting off and going back to the tree. **

**"Nala, are you okay?" Simba asked. She stood and backed away, looking at Sheba.**

**"What _are _you? No lion is that strong. You roar louder than any lion, you're as strong as a buffalo, and you're twice as vicious as any _animal _I've ever come across." Nala said. Riyu stepped up. "You're a freak of nature."**

**"Nala!" **

**"Leave her alone!" Riyu shouted. Sheba looked behind her at the broken chain. Simba leaned toward Sahara.**

**"How fast did you say I had to run to break that chain?"**

**"Really, really fast." She answered, still holding Sheba's mother. Simba looked at Sheba, who was sitting behind the tree with her head hanging low. **

**"I wasn't running fast, I'm just strong. I have anger issues." Sheba said. Nala took a drink of water as she felt blood drip from her face. **

**"Nala, you were totally out of line." Simba said angrily. **

**"You expected me to be nice? Because of her, you're stuck here." Nala snapped.**

**"No, I'm stuck here because I was trying to protect you. _She's _here because of her. If it weren't for her, something much worse could have happened. She warned us about the hunters. She told us where it was safe to hide. Because of her, we're safe." **

**"But, look at you."**

**"I know, that's due to my actions alone. She's tried repeatedly to keep me on track, but worrying about you guys has been driving me insane. And now that you're here, who's keeping Kiara from getting hurt?" **

**"I was scared." **

**"I know you were, but I'm safe here. I want you to escape this place as soon as you can. Go back to the pride and stay there." **

**"What about you?" **

**"I don't know. I'll think of something. There's a chance you'll have to deal with the fact that I may never get out of here."**

**Nala shook her head. "This isn't you. Why would you say that?" Simba sighed.**

**"I can't escape with my shoulder like this. I promise I'll do everything I can to get out of here. But in case I can't, I want you to promise that you'll stay with the pride." Nala sighed and nodded.**

**"I promise. But, what if you never _do _come back?"**

**"Then don't come back for me. If I don't come back, it's probably best that you don't know what happened to me." Nala hugged him and licked his cheek. **

**"What about the breeding program? If you're right about that, that is." **

**"I know I'm right about that, but I'll think of something when it comes to it. I promise. Now go. Get out of here." Nala went to leap away, but Simba added, "Apologize to Sheba first. That really hurt her feelings." She walked up to Sheba, who was cleaning her face. She looked at her out of the corner of her eye. **

**"What do you want?" She asked angrily. **

**"I came to apologize. I mean it. What I said was mean and you don't deserve that. You're doing your best to help my family and I appreciate that. I should also say thank you, too. If you hadn't come to warn us about the hunters, a worse fate would've befallen us. I'm going back to the pride." **

**"I heard Simba say that stuff, but I accept your apology. Your pride does need you and you are wise to listen to him. I'm sorry for clawing your back." **

**"I'm sorry for biting your nose." Sheba laughed. **

**"I deserved it." Sheba looked at the other zookeepers. "But I _do _belong here. It's who I am. A zoo animal. I can't quite explain my strengths. Some say a witch doctor cursed me, others say that I was supposed to be born a male. The worst one is that I'm a demon in a lioness's body." Nala sat beside her.**

**"I think it's because you're extraordinary. The gods decided that you were different." Nala sighed. "How am I going to get out of this place, though?" **

**"Leave that to me." She stood and roared angrily. As the zookeepers came in, trying to hold her down as she distracted them, swinging her paws around. Nala snuck out of the exhibit and ran off. **

**"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there one way or another." The zookeepers pinned Sheba to the ground as they put another chain leash on her. Simba smiled and walked over to her. **

**"Thanks." **

**"No problem. But what was this I heard about a breeding program?" Simba looked away, blushing a bit. **

**"You have really good hearing. It's nothing, I just think they're planning a breeding program and me being in it." She batted her eyelashes. **

**"And who do you think they're planning on pairing you up with?" She walked toward him and laughed as he gulped nervously. "You are so adorable. Even if it _is _me, you should know that I don't think about you that way. If anything, you're a big, bumbling lion who's been friend-zoned." Simba laughed nervously and looked away.**

**"Sorry, you're just a very good actress and I'd appreciate it if you didn't make me feel uncomfortable." Riyu ran up to Sheba as the zookeepers once again put the muzzle back on Simba. **

**"Don't get it loose this time." The man said, patting Simba's cheek. Sheba looked away from Riyu. **

**"I don't blame you if you hate me." She said sadly. Riyu looked up at her with disappointed eyes. **

**"You didn't have to lie to me. I _can _handle the truth. You only kept the truth about Mom from me because you were too scared to repeat what happened not because of _me _being scared, but because you were scared. Scared that I would be too traumatized about it. Scared by what you saw."**

**"Oh, what would you care? She wasn't even your real mother!"**

**"No, but my mother left me in that hiding spot so hyenas would never find me. You know what happened to her?"**

**"No."**

**"Neither do I. She never came back. You don't think I remember things, but I do. I remember that you found me, scared, alone, and hungry. I thought you'd always be there to protect me, but now I see you were just hiding me from the truth." **

**"Well, maybe I only kept it from you because I knew you'd hate me for not protecting her. You meant the world to me. The same thing almost happened to me a few days ago and I behaved because I didn't want you to be alone."**

**"No, you behaved because you belong here. In the zoo. I don't remember Mom much, but-"**

**"She was a zoo animal, too! When I got lost in a zoo transfer, she escaped from _her _crate and we went to the wild. If we didn't escape, you'd probably be in that hiding spot still, wondering if _your _mom's ever coming back. And I'll tell you a secret, your mom is never coming back. She never will. We saved you. A couple of zoo animals kept you from getting eaten by other wild animals." Riyu shook her head. **

**"I wouldn't mind if you had told me the truth about what happened to Mom. You didn't lie to me to protect me, you did it to protect your pride." Sheba stood angrily. **

**"Then leave! Don't talk to me anymore. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have to starve everyday to keep you safe from the other animals. I wouldn't have to run back and forth to steal food from other animals. You know, the more I think about the day I saved you, the more I regret it." **

**"Maybe you wouldn't have to steal food if you could hunt like a _real _lion." Riyu ran to the other lions with tears in her eyes. Simba watched as Sheba angrily scratched her claws against the tree. He noticed more scratch marks on the tree that had to be hers, too. But, unlike the ones she just delivered, they were in a sequence. Tally marks. There weren't a lot of them, but they meant something. When he walked over there, she looked away from him. "Go away." Simba rested his paw on the claw marks. "That's nothing anymore. It means nothing to me." She sighed and laid down. "It was a tally I was keeping. I was counting the days that I was here without Riyu. Now I know that I'll never be with her again." **

**He knew what she meant. From what he saw, Riyu meant everything to her. It was sad to see her like this. No one deserved that kind of depression. He wanted to say something to her, but even if he could, he didn't know what he would say. Sheba laid there, for the first time since her mother's death, feeling totally alone.**


	8. Chapter 8

**"Madam, what are you doing? I thought you were-"**

**"Things changed. I'm staying here until he gets out. The pride needs me." Nala said, interrupting Zazu. She looked in the distance as jeeps parked closer to the Outlands. "How's Kovu?" **

**"I'm fine. She patched me up. I should be fine." Kovu answered, waking up from a nap. Nala tilted her head. **

**"She? Is that human still here?" He nodded. Nala ran to the woman and looked at her angrily. "Don't let Simba get hurt. I'm trusting you to take care of him." **

**"I wouldn't dream of letting him get hurt. And he wouldn't dream of letting you get hurt, so I'm trusting _you _to stay here and avoid any confrontation with the hunters." Nala nodded and looked at the other lions. **

**"I won't go back if you promise me one thing, you come here every day _alone _with food, water, and medicine for any of the hurt lions." **

**"I promise I will. But I can't get a lot of meat without being noticed, so it would have to be in small portions." She checked her watch and groaned. "I wish I could stay longer, but I have to get back before anyone notices I'm gone." **

**"Wait, before you go, tell me how you can understand us." The other animals quieted as they waited for her answer. She sighed and took something out of her ear.**

**"I used to be a marine biologist. I wanted to talk to them and listen to what the world is like from their eyes. I decided to use the scientific knowledge to build a type of hearing aid that let me hear what the marine animals said. As it turned out, the translator didn't just work on dolphins. Obviously. I believe that animals are smarter than we give them credit for. Maybe even smarter than humans." She put the hearing aid back in her ear.**

**"It sounds like you want to be an animal yourself." **

**The Nala-woman laughed. "Yeah. Sometimes. People say I'm crazy, but I know animals are as aware of their surroundings as humans. I know how much Simba wants to get back to his family. The same way a human would act." Nala growled and dug her claws in the ground. **

**"He's not like one of those humans! They're cruel, insensitive, and they kill animals for fun, fashion, and whatever else they can think of! Simba would never hurt a human no matter what." **

**"No, but humans would do anything to protect their families, too. I can't explain the human nature, but we're not too different from animals. We're only different on the outside. On the inside, it's the same. Instincts for survival, the way we think, and even how we care for our young. Simba is the only lion I've ever seen that will not harm a human no matter how many ways they take away his pride and dignity. And I've worked in that zoo for years, so I have experience with lions." **

**Nala tilted her head. "What did that woman mean when she said your father gave the zoo to your brother? You said it was your zoo."**

**"That zoo belongs to my family. My father originally gave me the zoo. At first, it started out as a place to keep animals away from hunters. Ironic, huh? Then, out of nowhere, my brother showed up, saying that he owned it. He was kind enough to give me a job." Nala tensed up. Why would they take ownership of a zoo away from a perfectly good owner and give it to someone who allows hunters to work there? There had to be more to the story. **

**"Why would a zoo sell animals to that woman?" **

**"I don't know. She's a millionaire because the animal furs she has are imported from Africa. They're not faux. All-natural animal furs and skins. If you ask me, someone should skin _her _and make a coat out of her. That would be a coat I wouldn't mind wearing." Nala laughed. "I should be getting back." **

**"Wait, you know _our _names. What's yours?" **

**"Of course. My friends call me Ronnie, but my real name is Veronica. Oh, which one of you is Pumbaa?" Pumbaa stepped forward. "Timon is fine and he talks about you a lot. You two sound like you're best friends." **

**"Yeah. How much does he talk about me?"**

**"Well, when he's talking to Sahara, not too much. Usually, he's trying to get her to forgive him. But he does mention you hear and there." **

**"Oh." Pumbaa turned to Nala. "Who's Sahara?" She shrugged. During her brief visit, she didn't really get to meet her. Ronnie looked at her watch again. **

**"It was nice meeting you all. I'll see you tomorrow." She got in her jeep and drove off. Nala turned to the others. **

**"As a request by Simba, we are to stay here no matter what. If the hunters get here, then we go further into hiding." Nala said in a commanding voice. They all nodded. Ronnie snuck back inside the zoo. When she turned a corner, she was met with her brother. **

**"Where have _you _been, Veronica?" He asked. **

**"I was just out on a break." She lied. **

**"Oh, really? Is that so? You take breaks that last for hours?"**

**"I'm sorry." He scratched his head. **

**"Well, I've been receiving word that you helped some of the animals escape." Ronnie gasped. **

**"What? I wouldn't do that. The animals are safer here." He grabbed her shirt and pinned her against the wall. **

**"I know you've been helping out the lions. I saw you talking to them. What are you up to?" Ronnie growled. **

**"I'm up to nothing. Clayton, you know that as a loyal worker, I don't let wild animals loose." **

**"Heh. I saw you leave in your jeep. It looked like you were heading toward the hunters' grounds." Ronnie swallowed hard. He was definitely going to fire her. "These animals. Do they trust you?" He asked, turning around. **

**Ronnie shook her head. "No." **

**"Then how come they let you near them without trying to kill you?" She didn't have an excuse for that. "I'll ask you again, do they trust you?" She sighed, wondering where this was going, but knew she wouldn't like it when she found out.**

**"Yes." **

**"Good. I'll make a deal with you. If you lead us to where they're hiding, I won't fire you. I'll even make you the owner of this zoo. But, if you don't, you'll never work in this zoo again." Ronnie kept quiet. "I'll give you a day to think about it." Clayton walked away. She leaned against a wall. If she gained ownership of the zoo, it would defeat the purpose of her goal for the zoo. Why did they want the animals so much? What were they up to? She had to find out. But she couldn't be caught sneaking around or she'd be fired immediately. **

**"Simba, Sheba. I have bad news." They looked up at her. "I can't talk long, but you need to get the meerkats to do something for me." **

**Timon and Sahara looked around for zookeepers. Once the coast was clear, the two meerkats crawled out of the exhibit and snuck into the room where animal files were kept. Timon flipped through the papers. "All of these are just pictures of animals." Timon said. Sahara sighed, feeling defeated. "Wait, there's another giant stack of papers." He crawled to it and went through the papers with a horrified face. "Take a look at this." **

**Sahara flipped through documented files on a computer. Most were blueprint plans on the zoo. Nothing too unordinary. It seemed hopeless until she groaned and hit her head on the keypad, accidentally opening another file. "Timon, look at this." Timon dropped the files when he saw the computer screen. "They can't do this. It's unethical. Inhumane." **

**"Well, too bad we're not human." Sahara hit the print button and the paperwork started to print out. One of the zookeepers walked in. "Uh-oh." They needed to run, but the paperwork wasn't all printed out.**

**"I'll distract them. You get the paperwork to the human!" She jumped at the zookeeper and clawed at his face and bit his nose. The zookeeper threw her on the desk. **

**"AH! SIMBA!" Timon ran out of the room and into the lion exhibit. "Simba, buddy, we need your help! C'mon!" He undid the muzzle and ran out of the exhibit, back into the room. The papers were printed out and Sahara had them in her mouth. The zookeeper slowly walked toward her. **

**"Give me that paperwork, little meerkat." He said quietly. She shook her head and dashed out the door. Sheba ran, breaking the chain once more and jumped out of the exhibit. She watched as Simba tried to break free of the chain. The zookeeper ran into the hall, seeing one of the lions out. "Oh man. Hold still. This won't hurt a bit." He pulled out the rifle on his side and aimed it at Sheba. Simba roared angrily and ran at him, breaking the chain as the bullet was fire. It missed Sheba, but not Simba. **

**"Simba! Are you okay?" Sheba asked, helping him to his feet. **

**"Yeah. I'm fine. I just got hit in the shoulder. It kind of hurts." He said. **

**"Kind of? Boy, you are some kind of crazy. It's a good thing I like crazy people." Sahara was seen running back into her exhibit with the papers in her mouth. She stuffed them in a hole and covered it in dirt. Timon followed after. Sheba knocked the barricade down between the lion exhibit and where the humans stood as she walked back down into the exhibit. Simba ran after her, limping to keep the pain off of his shoulder. **

**"They can't expect to get away with that, can they?" Timon asked Sahara. **

**She gravely shook her head in indecision. "They're humans. They expect to get away with murder." **

**"That's exactly what this is!"**

**"We'll tell the woman tomorrow. She has to stop this. If she doesn't, I will."**

**The next morning, the zookeeper they had come across the previous night was talking with Clayton. He was giving a full report on what had happened. "You mean to tell me that you let a couple of _meerkats_ hack into our computer systems?" **

**"But, I-"**

**"What?"**

**"I would have gotten the meerkats if the lions hadn't distracted me."**

**"Lions? How did the lions get involved? You mean to tell me that carnivores are protecting meat?" It _did _sound ridiculous. **

**"It was those two chained to the tree!"**

**"Then put them on Vera's list." He growled. "And find that paperwork before those meerkats give it to Veronica. Go!" Clayton looked down at the two lions who were sitting by the tree. Just sitting and staring up at him, looking innocent. He snarled at them and walked down. "Look, you two overgrown cats. You have two choices. Behave and I _won't _sell you to fur companies, or you can continue this stuff and die." He thought it was completely ridiculous to talk to animals like they could understand, but he was running out of options. "Understand?" Simba yawned and rested his head on his forepaws. "Good." **

**Clayton didn't bother putting them back on their chains. They'd just break them again anyway. Of course, he didn't think that they understood him, due to Simba's nonchalant reaction, but they did. Once he left the exhibit, Sheba slashed her claws against the tree, making marks deeper than Simba had ever seen. "Vera! This zoo is still working for Vera! Sahara, Timon, what did you two get from the documents?" Sheba asked. **

**Sahara dug up the paperwork and ran over to them. "You ain't gonna like this." She showed it to them. They let out a harmonious gasp. **

**"What? They can't do that, can they?" **

**"I'm afraid they can." **

**"But, it's wrong." Simba added. **

**"You think they care?" **

**"No one cares what animals think." Sheba said gravely. "We have to tell that woman." Sahara shrugged. **

**"I haven't seen her all day. You think she's with the others?" **

**"Mean zookeeper alert!" Timon shouted. Sahara quickly grabbed the papers and ran to her exhibit. Clayton stormed past them with Ronnie's wrist gripped in his hand. She tried to yank it away, but he was exceedingly stronger than her.**

**"You pay for those animals' mistakes! My office now!" He shouted angrily. The animals' mistakes? Simba doubted that was the real reason he was mad. Perhaps it was because animals outsmarted him. The office door slammed shut. "You trained them, didn't you?"**

**"What are you talking about?" Ronnie asked. **

**"Those stupid animals. They stole paperwork." She burst out laughing. **

**"You think I trained them? It was all them. And I've made my decision." **

**"Oh, really? Did you choose to quit so I couldn't fire you? Or did you choose to become zoo owner so you could protect what little animals that are left in this zoo from Vera while the rest on the outside are being hunted for her?" She shook her head. **

**"Neither. I've decided that you're a moron. This zoo rightfully belongs to me." He growled and slammed his fist on the desk. **

**"So, you're making me do the deciding for you. Fine. Get in that jeep and lead the hunters to the hiding place of the other animals. If this zoo is rightfully yours, wouldn't you do anything to get it back? What's a few animals being worn when you can protect hundreds?" Ronnie turned and walked away. "You know you can't win either way. So just take the way with more pride. You're not an animal. Don't care for them like you _are _one." **

**"I _am _taking the way with more pride. I quit." Clayton hid his anger as his sister walked out. She ran to the lions and sighed. "I hate to say this, but I can't be here as a worker anymore. My brother left me no choice. It was either be fired or help them find your family. If I helped him, I would have taken ownership of the zoo, but your family would have been sent to Vera. I know it." Simba looked up at her. **

**"That's understandable, but the zoo also needs you. Sahara showed us papers for the zoo." Simba said. **

**"I almost forgot about that. What did she find?" Simba looked at Clayton, who was watching over them with his arms crossed. **

**She scratched behind his ears and said loudly, "I'll miss you, big guy." She hugged him and whispered, "What's going on?"**

**Simba licked her cheek and whispered back into her ear what he had been told. She gasped and stood up. "It'd be best if you stayed away from Nala, too. Just to be safe." Ronnie nodded and patted his head. **

**"Try to behave. We need you alive as long as possible." She walked out of the exhibit and smiled at her brother. "I was just saying good-bye." Clayton held out his hand. **

**"Now, give me your keys and zookeeper badge." Ronnie's heart skipped a beat. She forgot about giving Sahara her keys. "Where are your keys?" He furrowed his eyebrows as she patted her pockets. Simba let out a great roar and he and Sheba started fighting so that Clayton was distracted long enough for Sahara to give Ronnie back her keys and run back to her exhibit. Sheba smacked her paw against Simba's face and roared back at him, causing him to draw back and calm down. Ronnie handed him her keys. **

**"Sorry, I thought I lost them." He looked at her suspiciously as he grabbed her keys. "I can still visit this zoo, right? I can still be a paying customer at the zoo?" Clayton narrowed his eyes. Even if she wasn't working at the zoo, she'd still find a way to keep an eye on the animals. **

**"Sure." **

**"Oh, and there seems to be a bullet lodged in Simba's shoulder. You might want to take care of that. I don't think _Vera _wants bullet holes in her fur coats." Ronnie stormed out and got in her car. Clayton stared at Simba, who was stretching, ready for a nap. Zazu snuck up to him from behind a tree. **

**"Sire, we really need to talk." He whispered. Simba turned toward him and sighed. **

**"Zazu, it's not safe for you to be here anymore." He whispered, turning so Clayton wouldn't see him. **

**"Nala's been waiting for Madam Veronica all day. Why hasn't she come?" **

**"Who? Veronica? Who's that?"**

**"That woman who's been working with us. She was supposed to come, but she hasn't."**

**"I told her not to. The owner of this zoo threatened to fire her if she didn't lead the hunters to where they're hiding. So she quit. Until further notice, stay away from this place. We can't risk you getting stuck in the middle of this." **

**"In the middle of what?" **

**"The zoo is being turned into a place for animals to be sold to that Vera woman for her fur products. The hunters are trying to get more animals for her. That's why you need to stay away from here. We don't want her wearing a hat with a stuffed dodo, do we?" Zazu gulped nervously.**

**"But, how will I know when it's safe to return?" Simba shook his head. **

**"You won't. I'll send Sahara and Timon to meet you guys in the Outlands." Zazu sighed and nodded. **

**"It was nice knowing you, Sire." He flew off. Zazu landed in front of Nala. She looked at him, expecting news. "I'm afraid Madam Veronica will not be coming for a while." **

**"Why not? What happened?" Nala asked.**

**"She quit her job as a zookeeper to avoid leading the hunters to where we are hiding. But, that's not the worst of it. The zoo's becoming a holding facility for a fur trader named Vera. He told me not to go there until he sends Timon and Sahara to us." Nala felt tears fall from her face. **

**"He doesn't want us to know when he dies." Kiara stood up.**

**"Don't talk like that! As long as Daddy behaves, he'll live longer." She comforted. **

**"He always misbehaves." Nala looked at Zazu. "So, I assume that you didn't tell him about Kovu, did you?" Zazu shook his head.**

**"He told me to go away and barely gave me time to talk." The lions put their heads down in silence. Kovu decided to go up to the hunters and fight them off. He came across the same hunter that shot him before. **

**"This time I won't miss." Was the last thing he had said. And he didn't miss. Kiara looked over at the elephant graveyard where he was buried. It wasn't fair. Everything seemed to be taken away from her. Upendi had spent all day in hiding, mourning about his father's death. **

**So the lions waited months day in and day out for Timon and Sahara to come to them, but they never did. As Simba wished, they did not leave the Outlands, but Ronnie eventually managed to get to them without being spotted by the other hunters. She shortened her visits in cautions of being spotted by hunters. Instead of the steaks that the zoo usually gave the lions, she gave them other meat like hamburgers, hotdogs, and even a cured ham. The lions seemed to like it better than hunting for food and risking being seen. For the herbivores and monkeys, she brought heads of lettuce and flies that were buzzing around her head. **

**Everyone seemed to like it. They liked having someone to talk to. It kept their minds off of what was happening at the zoo. No one knew what was really happening, but they had to trust Ronnie's word that Simba was okay. As the months passed, Simba wondered why he had seen no sign of Vera. He didn't know what the humans were up to, but he didn't like it. Were they just waiting for his mane to grow back so they could shave more off for Vera? It was only a few months, but he guessed his hair was very healthy because it grew faster than he had expected. **

**Riyu was still ignoring Sheba. She treated her as if she was no one. On the outside, Sheba looked like she didn't care, but Simba knew it must hurt to feel like no one was there for you. To feel like Sheba did. Why didn't she see that she wasn't alone in the zoo? It must be horrible to be trapped in a place that haunts your dreams. Did she feel that way, or did he just imagine she felt that way? "Simba, what are we going to do?" **

**"Huh?" He had been lost in thought and didn't realize that Sheba was next to him. "I don't know. They're saving us for something, but I don't know what. I'm still worried about the breeding program. If they're trying to make a breeding program, why would they sell lions to Vera?" **

**"Are you positive about the breeding program?" **

**"Why would they need a male lion, then?" She didn't have an answer. "Unless…unless they don't need _me _but more lions before Vera gets too impatient. I'm the only male lion in this zoo, so they need more lions before they can sell any." **

**"So, it's just an endless cycle of lions being used for fur and breeding." Simba shook his head and motioned toward the other animals. **

**"Not just lions." Sheba sighed and licked her paws. **

**"If they wanted to put you in a breeding program, why didn't they do it by now? You have everything they need. You're a male lion, you got separated from your lioness, there are ten other lionesses here, and you have a nice, fluffy mane." **

**"Right, but I _didn't _when they shaved my mane. They've been waiting for it to grow back." He exhaled angrily. "And they need a lioness for me." Sheba laughed. **

**"There are a million lionesses here. Why would they have trouble finding you one?" **

**"Because there's only one that I spend time around and _she's _not too much of an easy lioness to breed with. Especially since she causes trouble." Sheba tilted her head as if she didn't understand, but dropped her jaw when she realized what he was talking about and shook her head. **

**"No way! I am _not _breeding with you. Not even if my life depended on it." **

**"Your life _does _depend on it! And I never said we were going to do it. As long as we need time to breed, we're not going to die."**

**"We can only stall for so long before they decide to cut my head off and pair you up with another lioness." **

**"You're very pessimistic, aren't you?"**

**"Not one of my best qualities." Simba sighed and looked at his reflection in the water. Bad things seemed to happen to him. A lot. His father, then Zira, now this. Why did he always have bad luck? Sheba rolled on her back and stretched. "Just behave and you'll live. That's what I've been _trying _to do." She glared at him. **

**"What? You're saying it's _my _fault that you can't behave? No one's asking you to keep an eye on me like a cub." She got to her feet and advanced on him.**

**"I'm just saying you're so influential. How can a lioness keep her paws off of you? That flowing red mane, those brown eyes, your cute buttony nose, and that handsome face. It's just so intoxicating." Simba raised his eyebrow. Sheba laughed. "Of course no one asked me to keep you alive. I'm doing it because I'm your friend." **

**"Cute buttony nose? Do I _look _like a cub?" Sheba craned her neck to look back at him as she turned around, batting her eyelashes.**

**"Maybe if you stopped acting like one, I wouldn't treat you like one." He would never understand how he put up with her for so long. In the past months that he was there, all she had really done was mock him and flirt. Of course, it was only kidding around, but she was very insistent on making sure he was uncomfortable around her when she did it. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This is the last one before new information comes out. Promise.**

**" Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase. Hakuna Matata; ain't no passin' craze. " Timon sang glumly as he lay in the hammock. A stick was in his hand as he drew a very intricate picture of Pride Rock. Sahara rolled her eyes. **

**"Stop singing that song. It depresses me." She snapped as she dug in the dirt for worms. "If you're gonna sing a song, sing one that's more upbeat." **

**Timon sighed sadly and sang, " It's a hard-knocked life for us-"**

**"Timon!"**

**"What? I express my feelings through song!" **

**"You are such a baby. Don't worry about a thing, every little thing, will be all right. " Timon rolled over and let out another sad sigh. Sahara growled and stomped up to him. She grabbed the hammock and spun it, entangling Timon within. "Feel better?"**

**"I can't feel _anything_." She rolled him out of the hammock and scratched behind her ear. "Why are you named after a desert?" **

**"Uh, I was born in one, duh." **

**"I was just asking. Sheesh. Don't need to get an attitude." Sahara glared at him.**

**"Well, it wasn't a very nice birth. _You _get born in a desert and have hyenas immediately try to eat you and then _you _tell me if you're not snippy." **

**"Wow. How come you never told me that?"**

**"Well, you never asked." **

**"What _else _don't I know about you?" **

**Ronnie dropped by the zoo in her regular civilian clothes. The way she smiled at Simba, he could tell she had the special hearing aids in and she planned to have a conversation with him somehow. Ever since she quit the zoo, it was only guess work on how his family was doing. She couldn't talk to him about it, but she could talk to him like any other person would talk to an animal. That didn't do him any good. Little kids seemed to enjoy going to the lion exhibit. One little boy actually went _in _the exhibit. **

**He was leaning over the railing with his mother holding on to him. "Don't lean so far. You don't want to fall in." His mother said. The little boy pouted as he sat down. He noticed the door beside the railing. It was locked, but he wanted to get in the exhibit. The easy way or the hard way. The little boy, smarter than he appeared, climbed over the door and slowly walked down to the lions. His mother screamed as she saw her son down there. "Nathan!" Nathan walked right up to Simba with a big smile on his face. **

**"Kitty!" He hugged Simba and cuddled against him. The zookeepers kept his mother from going down there. **

**"Ma'am, we assure you that he will not attack unless he's provoked." One said. Simba got on his stomach for Nathan to climb on top of him. He stood and walked around with the little boy on his back. Passersby watched as Simba walked up to the railing and let the woman take her son. The little boy laughed as he petted Simba's nose. Simba licked his cheek and went back to his nap. Sheba looked at Simba. **

**"Why did you just let that boy ride your back like a miniature pony?" She asked. **

**"I realized that humans, like animals, aren't born with savagery. It depends on who raises them." **

**"So, you acted like a pony?"**

**"That's not the point. The reason I was nice to him was because he's the only human who hasn't tried to kill, hunt, or even run away from us." Sheba tilted her head. "I just wanted the other humans to know that we're not ruthless killers that eat anything in sight. **

**"Clearly. You haven't eaten a scrap of meat since we've been here. The next feeding, I'm shoving the food down your throat." He laughed a little. **

**"Thanks." **

**"You can't go around being a lion that eats _grubs_." He rolled his eyes. **

**"They're actually not that bad. It's the really slimy ones that you should try, though." Sheba scrunched up her face in disgust. **

**"Gross!" Simba laughed.**

**"I'll make a deal. I'll eat the next steak no problem if you eat a grub." Sheba winced. Eating a grub was _not _in the job description as Simba's babysitter. They looked at the people visiting as cameras clicked. "Why are they taking our pictures?"**

**"Because you gave a little kid a piggy-back ride." **

**"Do we have a deal?" The lioness narrowed her eyes at him as her ears drooped. **

**"If it'll get you to be a real lion for once." **

**"Hey, I'm as much of a lion as the next guy." **

**"Right…You just eat bugs." **

**Instead of making a smart comment like she expected him to do, he just smiled and said, "So, tomorrow, then?" She smiled and nodded. It wasn't a nice smile, but more like an evil smile.**

**"Yeah, until then. Let's see how well this 'lion' can swim." **

**"What?-" She pushed him into the pond and laughed. She saw bubbles move around under the water, but didn't expect it when he jumped out of the water, knocking her down as he jumped over her. "That was a little uncalled for." He snapped as he shook water off his mane. **

**"I know, but that was for daring me to eat a grub just so you can eat meat." The next day, Simba was woken with Sheba shaking him like a maraca. He groaned as she continued to shake him. "Simba, wake up! Wake up! Now or I'll shove your head in the pond!" **

**The sleepy king groaned again. "Five more minutes. Do you even know what time it is?" Sheba growled and dragged him by the scruff of his neck to the side of the pond. **

**"Don't say I didn't warn you. Sorry about this, buddy." She sighed as she shoved his head under the water. He jerked his head up, gasping for air. **

**"Are you insane!? What was that for?" **

**"I told you I'd do it." **

**"I didn't think you'd actually _do _it. What do you want? What is so important that you had to wake me up? The sun isn't even up, why am I?" Sheba rolled her eyes and slapped his face. "Ow!"**

**"Stop acting like a jerk and listen. You have to see the newspapers." Simba glared at her. **

**"You woke me up so I could read?" **

**"No, you idiot! Ugh, look. Your little pony ride is on the front page." **

**"What?" She pointed to a newspaper machine and saw the newspaper. Indeed, the incident that happened the previous day _was _on the front page. "So? What's the big deal?" Sheba's plain face turned into a smile. **

**"That's just it! You're a genius, Simba!"**

**"I am?" **

**"Yes! All we need to do is get the humans to like us so the other humans will protest against the decision to make this a holding facility for animals next in line to become fur coats!"**

**"That's a good idea, but what about this little problem? No one can understand us!"**

**"That woman has that weird hearing aid, doesn't she?" **

**"One. How are we going to get them _all _to hear about it?" Sheba was quiet for a moment and then whistled. Sahara pulled at her hair as she rolled over, awake.**

**"Why do you lions hate sleep?" She asked. **

**"Do you still have those papers?" Sheba asked. Sahara rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep.**

**"What papers?" **

**"The ones with the data about the zoo! The blueprints for this place to become a fur company!" **

**"They're still buried. Okay?" She rubbed her neck as she fell asleep, snoring away. "Stupid lions."**

**Sahara woke, stretching as there was a loud commotion in the zoo. "What the heck is going on?" She looked over at the lion exhibit and kicked Timon awake.**

**"Ow! What was that for?" He asked. She turned his head toward the lion exhibit and his jaw dropped. News reporters and photographers surrounded it. "Whoa!" Sheba woke as cameras flashed around her. She took notice to what a blonde reporter was saying.**

**"We're here at the local zoo where others are trying to get a look at the lion that appeared on this morning's newspaper that resides in this very zoo. When questioning the zoo owner about comments he had about the lion, who gave a 5-year-old boy a ride on his back and handed him to his mother afterwards, the zoo owner said that the years this lion spent in the zoo had 'tamed' him, making him not hostile. Still, other visitors are dying to get in the zoo to look at this lion. If you ask me, this lion has a bright future in show business. What's in store for Africa's favorite lion? More after this short break." **

**Sheba jumped for joy as she ran over to Simba, who was sleeping away from her. She shook him awake. "Ugh, what do you hate about me getting sleep?" He asked.**

**"Dude, you have fans. Major fans. You're Africa's favorite lion! They can't sell you to Vera now!" **

**"What?" He lifted his head up as he saw news reporters everywhere. "What's going on?" **

**"Your front page incident's all over the news. Every one of these people are here to see you!" He looked at her. **

**"I haven't had this many people staring at me since the day I was born." **

**"So, I'm guessing no one was there when you killed your uncle." Simba looked up in thought and nodded.**

**"Yeah. Can I go back to sleep now? You haven't let me sleep at all since we've got in this zoo." Sheba pulled him up by his mane. "Okay, I'm up. What am I supposed to do? Pose?" He stretched, shaking his mane. Sheba shrugged. **

**"I've never had 1,000 people shoving others to get a picture of me. Do something spontaneous. Something that they'd never expect a lion to do. Eat a bug." Other reporters appeared as more cameras flashed rapidly. "Now's a good time to show everyone what's going on." Sheba roared for Sahara. "Sahara, dig up the papers and show them to the people!" Sahara nodded and dug up the papers. Before she could show the reporters, Clayton snatched them from her and stuffed them in his pockets. **

**She growled and went to attack, but Timon grabbed her by her tail and held her back. "Easy, Sahara." He said. **

**"That was our only chance." She whined. Timon sighed and let her go. Instead of attacking Clayton, she sat down. "Our only chance to get out of here." Timon patted her back and sat beside her. **

**"We'll get out of here. We always find a way out of messes." Sahara shook her head. **

**"We'll never get out." **

**In the pride, Nala awaited for anything to happen. Even if it was more hunters, she begged for something to happen. ****Anything. But nothing did. Finally, the suspense got to her. "I'm going after those hunters." She said to the pride. **

**"Mom, you can't. It's too dangerous." Kiara said. **

**"It's been months and we haven't heard a single thing from them. What if something happened to them?"**

**"Timon would have come and told us." **

**"What if something happened to all of them? I need to go in. I don't care what Simba said. He could be hurt and we may not even know it." **

**"Mom-" **

**"You can't stop me from doing this. Kiara, you take control of the pride now. Be the queen your father knows you can be. The queen he knows you are." Nala ran off as she left the pride standing, once more, not knowing what to do. Nala had left Kiara in charge of the pride. She didn't know how to control a pride, but if her parents knew she could do it, then she had to have faith in herself. Still, if something happened to her mother, how would she know if something went wrong? **

**Nala saw tire tracks. She was close to a hunter camping ground. She followed them and sure enough, there was a campground. All she had to do was get caught. But, how could she do that without being shot with a gun? What she didn't notice was the giant cursive 'VC' on the side of a van that was parked within the jeeps. Nala took in a deep breath as she walked toward the hunters. When they first saw her, they aimed rifles at her, but they then lowered the guns when she didn't attack. She allowed them to put her in the jeep. She also took notice to the van. 'VC'. **

**_VC? What does that mean? Zazu mentioned something about a fur company. They're not just getting animals for the zoo anymore. They must be deciding whether they want me to be a fur coat now or later. _****A voice shouted at the hunters through a cell phone.**

**"I won't make a fur coat until I have enough animals in the zoo to make an entire line of it, you morons! Take the lioness to the zoo and put her with the rest of the animals! I'll be there tomorrow to see what you've managed to scavenge. And don't give me any dead or wounded lions! I've waited long enough for that other lion's bullet wound to heal because you morons at the zoo shot him!" Vera. Her voice wasn't as cold as it would have been in person. Nala knew that she was talking about Simba. So, Simba was still alive, that was good. But tomorrow, that could be a different story. Nala sat in the van for hours until the hunters decided that they weren't getting any other lions, so they got in the jeep and drove back to the zoo.**

**"Vera ain't gonna be too happy when she finds out we only have one lion. If she asks, _I'm _the one who caught her." One hunter said.**

**"No one caught her. She came to us. On the death wagon." They laughed as the jeep drove toward the zoo. When they got there, she immediately ran to the lion exhibit. Sheba looked over at Nala and rolled her eyes. **

**"Look, your girlfriend came back. She don't look too happy." Simba turned to see Nala. **

**"What are you doing here?" He asked. **

**"I needed to make sure you were ok. That Vera woman you mentioned. She's checking the animals here tomorrow. For an entire line of fur coats." Nala reported.**

**"Hasn't this lady ever heard of faux?" Timon asked. Sheba shook her head sighed. **

**"Vera only uses authentic African mammal furs and skins." **

**"Mammals? I wish I were a reptile." Nala looked at the tourists flashing their cameras and tilted her head. **

**"What's going on?" She asked. **

**"Your husband gave a boy a piggy-back ride, so we're trying to get the others to like him while trying to show the humans what they plan on doing with the zoo so when they find out, they'll petition to have it stopped that way Vera won't be wearing us." Timon answered in one breath. **

**"Oh." She looked over at Simba who was sitting doing nothing. "Good job." Sheba growled and stomped up to Simba. **

**"They're here to see you! Do something that will make them like you and _not _think you're an average lion! Juggle Timon and Sahara, do a backflip, swim! Anything!" She roared. Simba huffed and walked up to them. **

**"So, you want me to be a one-lion circus act?" He asked angrily.**

**"If it helps, yes." Simba's ears drooped as he felt a vein throb in his head. **

**"Well, what do I do? Sing the National Anthem?" **

**"No. Maybe you could do something you've never done before."**

**"Like what?"**

**"Take a bath!" Timon laughed a little. "Or win a fight against someone." Simba rolled his eyes and walked toward the pond. **

**"Why do I even bother? Nala, you shouldn't have come." Nala walked up to Simba and shook her head. **

**"We need you. I need you. The pride is lost without their king. What if you get shipped off to Vera's factory?" Sheba stood beside Simba.**

**"Then I go, too. I don't let anyone go down without a fight." She said. Timon groaned as he fell to his back. **

**"We're gonna die." He said. Riyu sat in the corner, listening to the conversation that was in progress. She didn't want to die. Not the same way her mother did. Riyu wiped a tear from her eye. Her entire life was a lie. All seemed hopeless. Riyu stood up and walked over to Sheba. **

**"Sheba…" She said in her small voice. **

**"Riyu. I'm sorry about lying, but I just didn't know how you'd take it if you knew the truth. Honestly, I didn't want to lie to you, but you were so young." **

**"I forgive you. If today is our last day alive, I don't want to spend it being angry at the only family I have. I'm sorry I said you were a joke." Sheba licked her forehead. **

**"I'm sorry I said I regretted saving you." One of the lions groaned. **

**"Get a room. You think that just because you two make-up, it will make everything okay. Well, it won't! You'll just die friends! We're all going to die." When they saw who it was, it was the only lion cub in there. Riyu growled.**

**"Who are you?" She asked angrily.**

**"Name's Seamus. And like you, I'm going to be shipped off in Vera's van tomorrow _if _she thinks there are enough lions to make fur coats. We're all going to die. If not tomorrow, then whenever." Sheba walked up to him and snarled. **

**"Don't talk that kind of stuff in front of my sister. Unlike you, I don't plan on dying like a common zoo animal!" **

**"Oh, what? Like your mother did?" Sheba roared at him and kept herself from attacking him. Simba stepped between them and looked at Seamus. **

**"Keep quiet. We don't need you causing trouble." He snapped. Seamus stuck his tongue out and walked back to the other lions. Simba looked up at the visitors. Kids were trying to break down the barrier just to pet him. It was scary how humans were excited over one small change. Scary and sad. Especially the little ones. Mothers and fathers had to keep their kids in their sight, gripping their hands tightly. The zookeepers pushed the crowds back. **

**"Look, we don't need the lions getting nervous because there are too many people around. They're not used to so many people." Clayton said. Sheba rolled her eyes. **

**"Now's your chance, Simba. Go up there and let those crazy children hug you. Let that annoying man eat his words before I go up there and eat _him_." Sheba pushed Simba toward the walkway, trying to shove him up the stairs. **

**"What are you doing? Are you trying to get me trampled by a giant mob of kids?" Sheba rolled her eyes as she gave him one more final shove. "Alright, alright, I'm going!" He grunted as he climbed up the stairs. The visitors watched as he put his forepaws on the gate, looking at the other humans. A young girl ran up to him and smiled as she put her face up close to his. Seamus rolled his eyes and watched as Simba smiled nervously when the girl hugged him. Ronnie came to the front of the crowd and laughed under her breath. **

**"Crazy old lion." Simba sat immediately and laid down at her feet. "What are you up to?" She crouched beside him and scratched his ear. **

**"It was Sheba's idea. Apparently I have to win the humans over so they don't want us to be sold to Vera." Ronnie rolled her eyes and patted his head. "But your brother took the papers from Sahara. We don't have any proof now." **

**"Don't worry. I think I have a plan. They can't understand _you _but they can understand _me_." She stood and faced the crowd. "Now that we're on the news, make sure this is being recorded. How many of you like this zoo?" The crowd mumbled in agreement. "And how many of you wear fur coats or anything made with animal fur?" No one said anything. "Well, this zoo isn't just a zoo; it holds animals that will eventually be sold to Vera Costelle. For those who don't know who she is, Vera Costelle is the owner of a fur company. She buys animals from here and turns them into her products. Months ago, she paid half a million dollars just so the zookeepers could shave off Simba's mane for her." The group of zoo visitors once again mumbled amongst each other. Nala walked up the stairs and looked at the crowd. "I used to be a zookeeper here, but I was fired because I wouldn't help the hunters find more wild animals. Simba, Sheba, and Nala were taken from their families. If we don't get them back to the wild, the animals here will be nothing more than victims waiting for their turn at the guillotine. Simba isn't the only special animal in this zoo. Every animal is. He may be just a lion, but he can understand us. Every animal can. Lions, meerkats, monkeys, alligators, any animal in this zoo. What the owner of this zoo is doing is wrong and he knows it." Clayton stepped up and pushed his sister out of the camera view, shooting a death glare at her.**

**"Ignore her. She's only saying this stuff because she wants me to get fired because she wasn't the owner of the zoo like she thought she would be. We are not selling animals to Vera Costelle. In fact, it's safer for the animals here. No hunters are here to hurt them like the animals on the outside-" Ronnie cut in.**

**"No hunters to hurt them? Is that so? Simba, come here." Simba obeyed and winced in pain as Ronnie put her hand on his shoulder. "Show the people your shoulder. Walk around." Simba put pressure on his right paw, feigning more pain than he knew he was in, just to get more people on his side. "He made an escape to get back to his family, but the zookeepers shot him in his shoulder. It hurts to put pressure on his right forepaw. Does _this _look like no hunters were there to hurt him? They're even hunting cubs now." Ronnie pointed to Riyu, who was hiding behind Sheba. One of the news reporters stepped up.**

**"These animals all have names?" He asked. **

**"Yes. And it's not the stupid domestic names that the zookeepers have named them."**

**"How do you know their names?" She bit her bottom lip and tried to think of a reason. The hearing aid in her ear was the only reason. Ronnie sighed and took the thing out of her ear.**

**"This thing. It's a special type of hearing aid that allows me to understand the animals. I can talk to them and even if I don't have it in, they can understand me." Everyone looked at her skeptically. "If you don't believe me, try it. Here. I only have one." The news reporter didn't take it. Clayton laughed as she went to put the hearing aid back in her ear.**

**A man from the back stepped up and held out his hand. "I'd like to give it a try. It'd be cool to talk to a lion, don't you think?" She put it in his hand. "All I have to do is put it in my ear?" **

**"Yup." Once he had it in his ear, he looked at Simba. **

**"I'm not hearing anything." Ronnie glanced down at Simba. **

**"It's okay. You can trust him." Simba sighed and rolled his eyes. It was getting harder and harder for him to walk on all four paws, so he shifted his weight.**

**He tilted his head up at the man and asked, "What do you want to know?" At first, the man was too surprised to respond. "Are you going to answer?" **

**Seconds passed before he cleared his throat and said, "So, this thing really _does _work. Is this woman telling the truth?" **

**"Of course. She's the most honest person I know. She's the rightful owner of the zoo." The man nodded as if he were thinking. Simba looked around at the other people and roared angrily. "These people need to know that Vera will be back tomorrow. The zoo's just going to be a holding facility for animals that will become Vera's products. All of what she's told you, Ronnie, it's all true. My family hides every day because of hunters trying to get more animals." Nala stepped forward and looked the man straight in the eyes. **

**"Those hunters killed Kovu!" She growled. Simba jerked his head toward Nala.**

**"What?" The man shook his head in confusion.**

**"Who's Kovu?" He asked. Ronnie started to listen to what the man was saying. Panic struck her. How would Simba react to the news? She didn't have the nerve to tell him herself. Instead of the reaction she had expected, Simba just unsheathed his claws quickly, but they disappeared as quickly as they came. Ronnie crouched beside the distressed lion.**

**"I'm sorry. I didn't have the nerve to tell you. Are you mad?" She asked. Of course, if Simba decided to say anything, she wouldn't understand it. To her relief, he shook his head and licked her cheek. Clayton pushed her out of the way and snatched the hearing aid out of the man's ear. **

**"This is absurd! How do we know that he's not a paid actor?" He asked angrily. Ronnie tilted her head in a matter-of-face way.**

**"Why don't _you _try it on?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips. Everyone's eyes laid on Clayton, who tried to think of what to do. He wasn't willing to be proven wrong over some stupid animal. There was no way for humans to communicate with animals. It was impossible. Instead of putting the device in his ear, he threw it to the ground and stepped on it, making sure that it was crushed. "Clayton!"**

**"That's what I think of your stupid 'hearing aid'. Go home before you embarrass yourself." Before he could completely turn and walk away, Nala jumped in the way and bared her teeth. "Zookeepers, get this lioness under control." The zookeepers put restraints on Nala and led her back into the exhibit. She sat down without taking her angry eyes off of Clayton. Ronnie frowned at him and crossed her arms. **

**"Why did you do that?" She asked angrily. Clayton laughed. **

**"You think you're clever, don't you? Having an actor pretend that thing worked." Simba growled, but a look from Sheba kept him tame. Ronnie frowned and stomped away. She knew it was no good to argue with him. The man sighed and walked back into the crowd. "Now that the show's over, the zoo is closed today. We don't have any news for you. No more media." For some reason, Simba couldn't help but think that Clayton reminded him of Scar. Perhaps it was his narrow eyes or the way his voice sent chills down his spine. There was nothing more he could do than wait for Vera to come and take them after all hope had been lost of getting out of there.**

**Another week had passed until they heard the sound of Vera's car pull up. As usual, every animal was in hiding, not wanting to be seen. Every animal, that is, except for Sheba. She was waiting in plain sight as Vera was walking down the middle of the walkway. "Alright, what do you have for me?" She asked. Once again, the bumbling zookeeper was at her heels. **

**"Well, Ms. Costelle, we seemed to have reached a problem. For some reason, the hunters can't find any more lions and well our only male one is a bit of a hassle, so we can't-" She grabbed the front of his shirt. **

**"Are you saying that I don't have enough materials for my fashion line?" He started to stutter nervously. **

**"Uh, well, we've seemed to collect all the lions-" A commotion came from another room. To Simba's fear, he heard lions in the room, too. **

**"No." He said under his breath. As he feared, a lioness was thrown in, even though he didn't know her name precisely, but he did recognize her. Clayton smiled as he patted Ronnie's back. **

**"Now that's a good girl. Welcome back to the crew." He shook her hand roughly, handing her a set of keys. Angrily, she punched him in the face. She turned to Simba with a worried face, but he glared at her before turning his back to her. Sheba's anger was more towards Vera. Nala, however was ready to rip Ronnie's throat out. **

**She mouthed the words, "I'm so sorry, guys." Vera walked up to Riyu. **

**"What a lovely coat this cub has. You will not take this cub in. Keep her in the zoo. I want her to be old enough to be made into a fur coat. Imagine the money I could make with that fur coat!" Angry, Sheba snapped at Vera, causing her to take a large step back from her. "As for the lion, I'll give you one more month to at _least _get one of these lionesses pregnant or I swear that I will shut this zoo down and _none _of these animals will even make it to fur coats! Because they'll be stuffed and shown at a museum!" Every animal growled at her as she walked out. **


	10. Chapter 10

**"Oh, that woman! If I were a carnivore, I'd chew her throat out!" Sahara shouted.**

**"Sahara, you're two feet tall and weigh five pounds." Timon pointed out.**

**"I'll…chew her toes off." He rolled his eyes. "Yo, meat-breath!" She called down to Simba. **

**"Not now, Sahara." He said, hanging his head low. "I thought I could trust her and she betrayed us!" He glared at Ronnie who was slowly walking away. The truth was, even though she felt upset, the feeling of punching Clayton almost made her feel better. Zookeepers grabbed Simba and started to lead him away. He was too upset to fight back. They brought him into a separate exhibit, though there was no one else.**

**What lioness were they going to pair him up with? **

**Nala growled as she saw the guards lead Simba away. She glanced over at Sheba, who was sitting, doing nothing. "Why are you just sitting there? We need to get him out of there! They could be hurting him!" She said. Sheba rolled her eyes.**

**"They're not hurting him. They're preparing him for the breeding program, weren't you paying attention?" **

**"The breeding program!?" Sheba rolled her eyes. "I'm can't believe that woman! We trusted her."**

**"Well, sometimes you can't trust people! It happens! Sometimes you think you can trust someone and then it turns out that they're just a backstabber. Get over it."**

**"I will not get over it! We trusted her and then she-"**

**"You allowed her to enter your safe-zone because Simba trusted her; you trusted her because she helped Kovu. Sometimes you just have to be careful who you trust."**

**"How are you so calm about this?"**

**"I'm accepting death. I give up."**

**Nala shook her head. "Well _I'm _not giving up. It's not over yet. We still have a month to figure this out." Riyu looked up at Sheba. Her eyes were wide with fear. **

**"We're not going to die, are we?" She asked with as much fear in her voice as her eyes. Sheba sighed and looked at her sister. **

**"I don't know." There was a familiar, yet friendly laugh coming from beside their exhibit. The lionesses looked at the exhibit and saw a baboon in a tree with a large smile on her face. "Oh great. We get a monkey." **

**"You two need to learn to look on the brighter side." She said. **

**"The brighter side of what? If we don't die tonight, we'll die in one month."**

**"That's the beauty of it. If you feel you have only one month to live, use it wisely. Forgive your enemies, put quarrels behind you, tell who you love your feelings, and-"**

**"And then what? Die a month later? Yeah, if we do that, we will have forgiven our enemies, but the only enemies we have right now are the ones who are _trying to kill us_!"**

**"They are just doing their job. But I mean your human friend."**

**"She's not our friend! She tricked us into trusting her and then led the hunters to the Outlands." Nala snapped. The baboon smiled and pointed over at Ronnie. A look of pure guilt was on her face. **

**"Does that face look like betrayed you? The last I checked, traitors did not feel guilty." Nala growled and looked at her angrily. **

**"Who _are _you?" **

**"My name is Nyani." Nala rolled her eyes. **

**"Are all baboons like that?" Sheba scoffed and looked at the monkey who was still staring at them. **

**"You'd be surprised…" She muttered. Sheba's ear twitched as Nala started to pace more furiously. Angrily, she stood and stepped in front of Nala. "Would you stop? You're making me dizzy!"**

**"Then stop watching me!" **

**"Don't yell at me! I'm as worried as you are!"**

**"You don't seem like it!"**

**"Because I'm not paranoid! I'm accepting my fate, but that doesn't mean I'm not scared." Nala growled. She was obviously worried about Simba. Ronnie walked into Clayton's office angrily. **

**"What's going on? You know he gets temperamental when no one knows what's going on. By the time we get to him tonight, that exhibit will be torn to pieces." Ronnie scowled. Clayton smiled evilly as he stared at the camera watching over Simba. **


End file.
